Silver winds under Blue skies
by Epsilon-Eden
Summary: AU, pre Crisis Core. Story one of an intended series - Could the Planet somehow prevent its fate? Sephiroth's fate...? Twice their paths crossed, but was it coincidence? or something greater...Sephiroth & OC
1. Chapter 1 Cracked cobbles

Well. Here it is, my first published fic. I have tried and failed to write a good Sephiroth fan fic since i first played ff7. I was never satisfied with how I wrote his personality, and out of fear of writing a dreaded Mary Sue piece, I canned previous attempts. With the release of Crisis Core, as well as the whole FF7 compilation, and more insight on to what Sephiroth was like before he lost his sanity, I began to re-think my attempt. So here it is. My exploration into what could have been. I have tried as much as possible to remain faithful to each characters persona, as well as the SE story/time line. Anything I couldn't find through research has been best guessed. Im planning to make this quite a long, in depth piece so constructive feedback would be most welcome =)

**Disclaimer - **Sephiroth and all Final Fantasy characters, places and original events are property of Square Enix. I don't own them! sadly T_T

* * *

It knew.

It knew this was wrong...

This child...was wrong.

Not like the Others...the Others were not a threat...not like This one...

It knew something had to be done. But how? It also knew...that it wouldn't be the Child's fault.

How could it deny a child its right to live...when all children are born innocent...?

It knew...

It made a decision. To help the child. To give it a chance.

**Chapter 1**

..Cracked cobbles and pink plasters..

The shiny glass like ball was too tempting for a small boy to resist. It sat, taunting him from across the room. Sitting on the dark wooden table, begging to be touched. Begging to be discovered.

The boy cast a look around before slipping from his chair and taking an attentive step forwards. He looked around again, he was sure he was alone so he crept quietly to the edge of the table where he could see his treasure clearly. The jewel like surface gleamed at him; its colour matched his eyes. The colour of fresh spring grass. He wondered if his eyes were made of the same thing as this ball was. He looked around again. He was told not to leave his seat. He was told he'd get a thrashing if he didn't stay where he was, but it was just a quick look, it couldn't do any harm. Maybe if he was quick he could touch it, what would it feel like?

He reached up but he wasn't tall enough and he couldn't move the chair because it would make too much noise. He stood on his tip toes and stretched as far as he could. He could almost reach it!

But then he slipped on the rug he was standing on...and in a muffled thud he hit the ground. The tablecloth he had unknowingly grasped to save his fall was now clutched in his hand and half the tables' contents lay in a mess around him. Except his treasure. That was bouncing out the room with a soft 'tink...tink'. His eyes went wide, he would be in trouble for sure now but he had to catch that ball. He scrambled to his feet and made a grab for it but he fell short and on to his knees again. He watched helplessly as it rolled towards the stairs and dropped off the first step, bouncing gently to the second, and then to the third...He got up again and descended the stairs as fast as he could, the ball picking up speed and getting away from him now.

He was going to be in so much trouble. He had to catch it, he had too! The door at the front of the house was open and now the green orb had burst into the outside world, gathering more velocity down the gentle slope of the path and off towards the main village. No no no! He told himself. He couldn't lose it, he just couldn't. He took off in a dead run now, desperate to catch the ball before anyone noticed what was happening. He was gaining on it; he might actually catch it before someone knew!

In his moment of elation he failed to see a crack in the cobblestones of the path and his ankle, failing to take the weight of his body, gave way. He yelped in pain as his whole leg buckled under him, crashing to the ground in a knee grazing skid. He put his hands out in an effort to break his fall but the momentum of his body was just too much and he tumbled to the bottom of the hill. Bruised and shaken, he looked for his orb but it was nowhere to be seen. He began to sob. His ankle was throbbing in hot, agonising pain and the cuts on his hands and knees stung, grazed raw from the fall. Through his soft, hiccupping crying, he heard hurried footsteps coming towards him,

"Hey there...are you okay? Don't cry, I can get a grown up to help you" a Childs voice spoke to him. He rubbed away the hot tears and looked up. A girl was kneeling down in front of him. She was wearing a dirty yellow dress and her knees were covered in grass stains. Her long black hair was pulled up into high pigtails on the sides of her head, secured buy bands adorned with fluffy pink bobbles and she had big, pale blue eyes.

"I'm fine. I don't need a grownup" He sniffled. The girl giggled,

"I saw you, you were chasing this...right?" and she held out his treasure, she had caught it! His eyes lit up.

"Yes! But...it's not mine. I'm in so much trouble, I wasn't meant to touch it" He hung his head in shame. The girl shuffled closer and held out the orb for him to take. He hesitated, before grasping it. It was cool! Even on a hot summers day it was cool. He ran his fingers over its surface, it was so smooth. He smiled.

"It's a pretty ball. Did they make your eyes with balls like this one?" the girl asked. He looked up at her and she smiled back. Reaching behind her she pulled the small bag she was wearing onto her lap. It was shaped like a teddy bear. She unzipped the bears tummy and pulled out a pink plaster,

"Plasters make smooshed knees all better, you'll see" she began to take the plastic off, but when she looked at his knee the grazes had stopped bleeding.

"Oh...well you can have one anyway, just in case" He watched as she gently applied the plaster on his knee and smoothed it out. He blushed slightly as she placed another one on his other knee. All the boys he knew said pink was a silly girls colour. But there were no other boys here with him, so he didn't mind.

"There! All done. You'll get better now for sure" She smiled at him again and this time, he smiled back.

Just then a man in the town called out, "Ah! That's my granddaddy, I have to go. You should hurry and put that ball back before someone sees you" She said, jumping to her feet and brushing her knees, taking care not to wipe off too much of the grass stains.

"I hope we see each other again, maybe we can play together" She beamed, "Bye bye!" And she ran off with a wave. He waved back and watched her until she had gone inside and out of sight. He couldn't help a smile appearing on his face but as he looked down, he saw a broken necklace. Was it hers? He picked it up. It might be...He was about to get up to return it but another voice shouted out behind him. One he knew all too well and before he could turn, his arm had been gripped with fingers of steel.

He winced as he was dragged back up the path, with a constant telling-off ringing in his ears but today he didn't care. Today he finally got to feel what materia was like. And he had met a nice person. A very nice person. He gripped the necklace in his left hand tightly. Maybe he could give it back tomorrow and he risked one more glance out to where she had ran too before the door was slammed shut in his face.

_Se..ph...roth..._

_Sephiroth..._

Sixteen years later, the same pair of tired, green eyes opened slowly…

"Who…keeps calling me…?"…


	2. Chapter 2 Anti Shinra

His eyes opened slowly. That memory again. It always came to him when he was exhausted. He rubbed his face with both hands, letting the steady caress of running water wash over his eyes and lips. It formed a tiny stream that meandered further downwards following the vein in his neck, down to his collar bone and over his smooth chest. He braced himself against the wall of the shower and dipped his head, letting the hot water cascade over his crown, dragging his hair down forming a sleek silver curtain that shut out the world, if only briefly.

Sephiroth inhaled deeply, filling his lungs with air and appreciating, for the first time in four days, the calming effect it had on his body and mind. He stayed like this for a while before grasping the temperature control and cranking it all the way to the right. A blast of freezing cold water hit his head and he inhaled involuntarily as it ran its icy fingers down his body. He stood up to full height and let it fall on his face, still gasping in shock. He needed to stay awake for a while yet, the mission wasn't over. Sephiroth composed himself and got his breathing under control once more, flexing his muscles and willing his body to stay alert on him for a little while longer.

Sometime later he found himself gazing out the window of his inn room. He folded his arms across his chest and closed his eyes. He and his friend Angeal were posted at a small village near Wutai, disguised and posing as townspeople in an effort to apprehend a group of rebel spies that had ties with the local militia. At the beginning of the week they had caught wind that the group were planning to move out, supposedly to spy on Shinra and they were to be apprehended at all costs. Sephiroth had hardly slept since then. He glanced over at Angeal's body lying in the bed next to where he stood. He couldn't keep up Sephiroth's pace and had to rest more often. He sighed and looked out the window again, listening to Angeal's soft breathing.

Sephiroth decided he needed to get out; his friend was making him sleepy. In a few quick strides he had crossed the room to his dresser where he slid open a drawer and removed a tube of big energy tablets. Pouring himself a glass of water from a crystal pitcher on the table he plopped in two tablets and shut the rest away again. He lifted the fizzing water to his lips; he wondered if he was the only one who enjoyed the minuscule spray of water and smell that erupted from such tablets as they dissolved, tickling his lips and nose. He gave the glass a quick swirl before drinking the whole concoction down. He glanced at the dregs. He'd better take another, just in case. The tablets were SOLDIER strength but still...

He opened the drawer again but a dull glint caught his eye and he reached further in to grasp whatever it was that had been forgotten and left there for goodness knows how long. His long fingers seized the object and lifted it out gently. Sephiroth cocked his head. He couldn't believe it. Unless he really did need sleep urgently and his mind was playing tricks, this was the necklace the girl dropped back when he was a young boy. He draped it over his hand and brushed the pendant with his thumb gently. It really was...or maybe it was a mass produced necklace and everybody had one and he was being silly. Still, he dropped it in the small bag containing his personal items and proceeded to take his third energy tablet. This wasn't even the town he had met her in, he thought, and he chastised himself for being so sentimental.

So why was he keeping it...?

He snorted gently in mild annoyance and made his way downstairs, planning to do some more 'blending in'

Around evening the same day, four men and a woman found themselves cuffed and penned in a storage building like cattle. Sephiroth's 'blending in' was such a success he managed to get himself a quick hauling job helping a small band of so-called travellers with their things. His anti-Shinra speech had been so good in fact, he convinced them his friend hated Shinra just as much and could lend a hand as well. While packing all sorts of crates and boxes into a van, they stupidly blabbed enough for the two SOLDIER members to be sure they were the spies. So they were subdued, cuffed and held until the Turks arrived to ship them out.

Sephiroth went straight to bed and was out almost as soon as his eyes shut.

"Hey...wake up. Come on you lazy ass, you've done nothing but sleep since we got here" Angeal shook Sephiroth and pulled him onto his back.

"Gunning for a black eye...are we Angeal?" Sephiroth stared up at his friend before sitting up and running a hand through his hair. Angeal chuckled,

"You know, you actually almost look like shit this time. Almost" Sephiroth scoffed. It was a running joke with Angel and their other friend, Genesis that no matter what Sephiroth always looked bright, alert and impeccable. Even after five days without sleep. They annoyed him constantly with their jokes on the subject.

"I packed all our things. Got a heads up from the Turks, they'll be here within the hour so you better get your pretty face on and be ready to leave" Angeal hoisted a few bags over his shoulder and left the room. Sephiroth glared at his back until he was gone and sighed. He was glad to be getting home. This mission was a boring one, he'd almost refused it but, as Angeal reminded him, what else was he going to do? So he came along to keep Angeal sane. Genesis was currently in Junon participating in materia trials so he really wouldn't have had anything to do.

A little while later, Sephiroth brought the remaining bags down to the inn's entrance room and piled them with the others. An email blipped through to his phone and he flipped it open;

_ETA 10 mins. Be ready to ship out._

_Meia_

He replaced the phone in the pocket of his long black coat. He was glad to be wearing it again. He was quite fond of the smell of leather. Meia..Another new Turk? There were so many suits now it was hard to keep track. Maybe he just never met her before.

Angeal appeared again to pay the Inn keeper their tab,

"Thank you again. The room was very pleasant"

"Ah, I'm glad you found it to your liking Sir. We tend to worry people won't enjoy the mismatched furniture!" The elderly inn keeper chuckled to himself.

"Mismatched? We hardly noticed"

"Ah well that's good. Most of the stuff we have was donated by various people over the years. Beds from Costa del Sol, chairs from Wutai, the desks were a gift from someone too but I forget where now, a Shinra scientist gave them to us. A right mish mash indeed!"

Sephiroth raised an eyebrow as he remembered the necklace. He shook his head. They thanked the keeper and hauled their stuff outside to wait for the Turks helicopters.


	3. Chapter 3 The expensive project

**Chapter 3**

The expensive project

The weeks following the operation were unusually quiet. Normal SOLDIER life resumed, though they were on constant standby due to the war. Angeal busied himself mentoring young recruits, Genesis continued to study Loveless in any free time he could and lend his talents to the Midgar theatrical society. And Sephiroth..._well_, he mused..._I don't really do anything now, do I?_ Aside his usual training, he sometimes helped mentor along with Angeal, but he didn't feel like it today. So he had gone through his usual morning routine, grabbed breakfast on the go and holed himself up in the Shinra data rooms.

He liked to read if he ever got bored. There was always something he wanted to research. He smirked to himself. Now he thought about it, he was actually quite nosy. If he wasn't so private he might even go as far as to call himself a gossip hound. But he WAS private and anything he did find out he usually kept to himself or, if it was particularly interesting, he'd tell Genesis and Angeal. The only thing he couldn't seem to find out anything about was himself. All he had were his memories growing up but that was it. He knew he was...different, somehow. Special. But to what extent he didn't know. All he was told was his mother's name, Jenova. She had died sometime after giving birth to him. And his father had been a Shinra scientist. He sighed. The documents on his origins were locked away in the Shinra database and protected with so many firewalls and passwords; no one could get in without the actual codes.

He put the file he was currently reading down on the table and leaned back in his chair, absentmindedly placing his hand in his pocket and playing with the metal links within. He had been carrying the necklace around ever since they had returned from Wutai. He almost felt stupid for keeping it with him, but at the same time couldn't bring himself to get rid of the thing. What the Inn keeper had said about the desk he found it in intrigued him. He knew he hadn't met the girl in that town, but now he knew the desk came from somewhere else...the possibility kept floating about in the back of his mind. The corner of his mouth curled up into a faint smile as he remembered the pink plaster she had applied to his knee. Did it have kittens...? Or hearts on it...he couldn't remember. He did remember her happy face though, her grass stained knees and her teddy bear bag. He remembered thinking she was one of the very few nice people he had met. Sephiroth closed his eyes and recalled the day after he had sent himself tumbling down the hillside, to land in a crumpled heap at the base only to be found by this girl…

He had sneaked out of the house again the next day, clutching the necklace he found, and gone to the home he was sure she disappeared into. But she wasn't there, neither was her Grandfather. He knocked on the neighbours' door,

"Oh I'm sorry young man" A middle aged woman answered, "But that gentleman was taken ill this morning. His daughter came home early and took him to the nearest village with a doctor"

"Did the little girl go with them Ma'am?" Sephiroth asked politely.

"Yes dear. Was she your friend? I'm sure she'll come back soon" and with a smile, the lady went back in the house and clicked he door shut. Sephiroth sighed and slumped his shoulders. How was he going to give it back now? He considered posting it through the letter box and forgetting about it, but he decided to wait to see if she did return.

But three days later, she still wasn't back and Sephiroth was due to move back to Midgar, his summer holiday over. When he had returned, he realised with a sickening jolt that he'd left the necklace behind, in the drawer of the desk in his room. He felt miserable. She'd never see her necklace again now…

Sephiroth opened his eyes; this necklace was turning into something of an obsession now, he thought to himself. Was being in SOLDIER really this boring? Or was he just getting soft. He chuckled to himself.

His quiet, almost cold nature led people to believe he was always serious. One hundred percent of the time. So he had built his image on this, actually preferring it. People sometimes found it hard to approach him, to talk to him without a full salute and the word 'sir' after everything. It made keeping his privacy easy though, and he liked that. He didn't have Genesis' blatant, out-going ego or Angeal's big brother vibe. He was just Sephiroth. He knew he was skilled. He knew he was powerful, but he preferred quiet modesty most of the time. And Angeal told him once that it was actually endearing, like a dark mysterious horse...that had been playing with bleach.

He examined the necklace a little more before deciding. It was going to be his new project. Maybe he could even find out who the owner was and where she was now so he could give it back. He also decided to keep it to himself, he was teased enough as it was at the moment.

The end of autumn certainly wasn't going quietly and the weather had been pretty miserable for Midgar all week. The rain was coming down hard now and Sephiroth needed to get to sector 5, the retail part of the city. It was home to numerous jewelery shops and brokers. He decided a good step was the get the necklace appraised, to see if it really was just mass produced junk or one of a kind. It certainly didn't seem mass produced at least, the craftsmanship of the piece was delicate and beautiful. He stepped out of the elevator on the ground floor and headed down the stairs towards the entrance, zipping up his thick raincoat and flipping up the big, fur lined hood to protect him from the torrential downpour outside.

Midgar was a dark, gloomy city on a good day, but on a day like this it was practically night time. The big, black storm clouds mingled with the layer of smog that hung over the city, blocking out all of the sunlight that may or may not have been present. The sheets of rain reduced visibility and people struggled against it, coats drawn tight and hoods zipped right up to their wearers noses. Mercifully, it wasn't windy, Sephiroth thought to himself and he popped up the umbrella he'd grabbed from the reception desk before heading out to the train station.

* * *

"Found it you say? Well...it was a very nice find I think" The broker held the necklace up and studied it through a magnifying monocle. He nodded several times and set it back on the table. Sephiroth waited patiently as the small man reached under his counter and hefted up a large binder and began to rifle through it.

"Ah yes. This necklace was actually made by a well know artisan, you might get better luck talking to the young man in his Midgar shop. I can give you directions if you like"

"Please. That would be helpful" Sephiroth replied. The broker scribbled a set of instructions on a piece of paper and handed them to him. He looked over them quickly before folding them up and placing them, along with the necklace, back in his pocket. Thanking the broker he turned to leave but a slight cough brought his attention back again,

"Sorry sir, but appraisals aren't free I'm afraid" The small man stated, somewhat sheepishly.

Sephiroth cocked his head to one side and raised an eyebrow. Pay? He'd only taken a quick look...ah. It couldn't be helped. He turned back again and produced a white card from his inside pocket,

"How much..."

A while later, Sephiroth stood on the corner of two streets and looked at the handwritten instructions in his hand. Looks like he had gone one street too far so he doubled back the way he'd came and looked again. Sure enough he'd missed a small side alley that was partially blocked with forgotten trashcans. Seemed the sanitation department had declared themselves fair weather only. He stepped around them and started walking down the small street. The shops down here were smaller, more private. And more interesting. All sorts of curiosities were being sold from antique furniture to lamps made from ladies corsets. Sephiroth smirked to himself. Very unique indeed.

The jewellers he needed was actually the shop marking the end of the street, its facade was bright and inviting, though, Sephiroth wondered, slightly wasted since this alley was so unassuming. He unfolded his umbrella and propped it up outside before stepping in, the jingle of the shop's bell heralding his arrival. While he waited for the attendant he looked around. A well-lit, glass appraisal table formed a centrepiece to the shop with glittering trinkets winking out at him from display cabinets lining the walls. Some of the price tags made his head spin and he wondered what sort of people would pay that much.

"Hello there how can I...ah! Mr Sephiroth, what a surprise to see you in our small shop" The shops attendant finally arrived from behind a curtain in the corner. He was a mature, well groomed man wearing an impeccably pressed pinstripe suit. Again, Sephiroth found himself wondering how many customers this place got to be presented so well. He greeted the man back and pulled out the necklace, explaining where he'd got it from and how he had been advised to come here. The attendants face lit up as soon as he caught sight of the piece and he eagerly took it from Sephiroth's gloved hand.

"This is remarkable, truly remarkable. You say you found this? In a beaten up old desk no less? I must say you are very lucky Sir" He placed the necklace down on the glass table and produced a magnifying glass from a drawer in its side.

"Oh?" Sephiroth took a seat across from the attendant who had also sat down.

"Yes...yes Oho. Mass produced this is not my friend" Sephiroth's eyebrow twitched "This necklace is a one of a kind. My father makes all the jewellery you see around you, has been doing so for thirty years. He's quite a name you know and the older and rarer a piece is, the more its worth. Well to do people flock to buy his exquisite works of art"

"And I'm guessing this necklace is both rare and old?"

"Most defiantly. I recognise this from Father's 'most wanted' list. He keeps a file with pieces he's made over the year that he'd like to re-acquire. He has a circle of high profile clients that like to collect his rarer, vintage pieces and are willing to pay handsomely for them. You see this metal?"

Sephiroth leaned in for a closer look, "its pure mythril. The blue, faintly marbled metal is wonderful for making jewellery, but very expensive. Look, here's our watermark" Sephiroth peered at the distorted magnified mark stamped on the inside of one of the embellishments on the chain.

"The pendent itself is cut from a wonderful deep blue sapphire that has been refined into this long teardrop shape and inside; the tiniest hollow has been made and filled with a miniscule amount of mako, giving it a beautiful luminescence. The spun cage surrounding it is also mythril. Very hard. Very strong. Here, let me show you" And the son flicked the light off inside the table. Sure enough, now it wasn't being overpowered, the blue teardrop was glowing and scintillating faintly. Sephiroth couldn't believe he hadn't noticed before. The son turned the light back on again and removed his appraising glasses,

"So Mr Sephiroth. Let's talk business. I would be willing to give you five thousand Gil for this piece right now. Cash in hand" He stared at Sephiroth, apparently not intimidated in the slightest. The cold, hard stare of a shrewd businessman, he thought. Five thousand indeed, he was certain that was a rip off if it really was as rare as he made out.

"My apologies, but I'm not selling today. I was merely looking for an accurate appraisal and possibly some information regarding its origins" The son's fixed smile faltered for a split second.

"I can't persuade you in the slightest? How does fifty five hundred sound" Sephiroth shook his head.

"Fine. But the appraisal and the information will cost you" The Son said finally, almost looking sulky.

"Naturally. Throw in a case as well so I can keep it safe, now I know what it's worth" Sephiroth said, sliding his silver card across the table for the second time that day.


	4. Chapter 4 Special assignment

**Chapter 4**

Special assignment

How could she have let herself get in this situation again? She cursed inwardly for about the tenth time so far since she turned down this corridor. Reno, a freshman rookie, had a habit of hinting she was an incapable Turk. A weak failure. This was the third time now these 'hints' had made their way to the Turks director, Verdot, and this time he wasn't happy with her at all. She had now emerged onto the main floor of the level used primarily by the Turks and moved towards the director's office. _I will remain composed_, she told herself. _I will not get angry._ Taking a deep breath she placed her finger on a black pad beside the door, and an intercom put her through to Verdot,

"Yes?"

"Meia. Reporting as requested Sir"

"Enter"

The door hissed open for her and she stepped through. Verdot was an intimidating man and never one to suffer failure. Even if it was mostly a lie formulated by her young colleagues... Steeling herself, she walked up and stood to attention before him, staring at the wall straight ahead...not daring to make eye contact.

"I assume you know why your here" She nodded "I've received reports that your failing in your duties again. Is this true?"

Meia swallowed hard. A large lump had suddenly manifested in her throat.

"No sir. Not entirely"

"You didn't apprehend your target during your last mission. Again. How is this not failing?"

She could feel his hard stare looking right through her. She had to keep her cool.

"Sir, I assigned my comrades to guard the entrance to the building while I infiltrated in an attempt to flush the target out. When I did so, he was using a hostage, a small girl, as a human shield. I gave pursuit and radioed the situation ahead to the Turks guarding the entrance. But it seems..." She paused, "my transmission was not heard for some reason. The target overpowered them, they were taken by surprise. They couldn't gain the upper hand and the target escaped, despite all attempts to follow him" Meia knew full well the reason her transmission wasn't heard was due to Reno and Rude messing about and not concentrating on the job at hand. But she bit her lip. She wouldn't mention this unless she was asked. Name dropping like that was a sign of weakness in her eyes; she wouldn't lower herself to blame others all the time like an immature schoolgirl. Even if she was justified in doing so.

Verdot leaned back in his chair and laced his fingers together, resting his hands in his lap.

"As it so happens...I have a civilian witness to back up your story. He said your two comrades weren't focusing. That they were easily overpowered and they proceeded to yell at each other as to whose fault it was" Meia suppressed a look of mild shock "But the fact still remains that you failed your mission. I know you try your best Meia, given the circumstances, but it still goes on your record. Although I sympathise, I'm taking you off active duty and assigning you to some rigorous training"

Meia couldn't help but look crestfallen. Taken off active duty. She may as well have been paraded about in a bright bunny suit with a neon sign above her head flashing 'I suck'.

"Don't worry; I'll be dealing with those two rookies shortly. You'll find all the details of your training in your quarters. Take your assignment seriously. Work hard and come back stronger, understood?"

Meia snapped to attention, "Yes Sir!"

"Good. Dismissed"

She nodded and left the office, heading for the elevator. Once inside she slumped against the back wall and groaned. This was humiliating. She hated being given assignments that involved Reno and Rude because crap like this always happened, she always ended up taking the flak for those two. She stormed out onto the lobby and jogged down the steps, heading towards the residential building reserved for Shinra employee's once she'd emerged outside.

###

In her room, placed on her bed, was an envelope containing a set of orders. She hated the fact that her room was essentially accessible by whoever was given the right to enter it. Which, in theory, was just about anyone. She sat down and tore the package open;

_Orders addressed to – Meia LeSait, Dept. Of administrative research._

_You are hereby assigned special training duty for the duration of two weeks. You are requested to report to the 49th floor of the Shinra building at 09:00 hours tomorrow. Dress appropriately. Your uniform is not required._

_These orders are intended for the eyes of the above addressed only. If you are not this person you are required to return the envelope and the entirety of is contents to the reception desk located on the ground floor of the Shinra building. Failure to return these documents will lead to prosecution, a hefty fine or both. All information within is owned by the Shinra company and protected under section 1-4B of the corporation protections law. Copies of these laws can be requested via this hotline 0024 45 45 99._

The 49th floor. Wasn't that the SOLDIER floor? Wonderful. She was to be run ragged until her throat bled and her lungs were coughed up then. This was going to be hard; there was no way a Turk could keep up with a genetically enhanced member of SOLDIER. She knew they would be leagues apart. Meia fell backwards on her bed. Maybe she'd only be assigned to a couple of 3d class rank 7's, as some kind of project. If she concentrated she could cope with that.

###

The next morning, Meia set her alarm to wake her earlier than usual. She was determined to make a good first impression. Rolling out of bed at 06:30 she donned a tracksuit and headed for Shinras indoor running track. She usually ran throughout Midgar but the cities weather was becoming increasingly worse as they headed into winter. Freezing cold sheets of rain and hail were currently descending from the heavens, thundering against windows and roofs in a deafening torrent.

She had the track to herself this early in the morning and she ran her usual indoor distance before heading to the canteen for a breakfast of fruit, cereal and toast. Meia took her time and thought about her upcoming training. She couldn't help but feel nervous about it though. popping another melon ball in her mouth, she tried to imagine what kind of things she'd be put through. Running? Assault courses? Sparring? All of these and more were a possibility. SOLDIER training was tough for them, but for a mere Turk who hadn't undergone mako infusion and genetic modification...it would be hell. Still, Meia wasn't one to shy away from the challenge. She added a generous amount of milk to her cereal and bean to chomp through it, casting a glance sideways at a Shinra businessman who was doing likewise. But he was using yellow-top reduced cream milk instead. She wrinkled her face up. She couldn't stand the reduced cream stuff, tasted like milky water. Quite horrid.

Meia finished her breakfast and headed upstairs again to take a shower and change. She pulled out a sturdy pair of navy blue cargo pants and a soft grey speckled fitted t-shirt to wear. She usually wore her hair down, but she didn't like distractions while training, so she twisted it into a high pony tail and secured any wayward locks with pins and clips. She wasn't out to impress any SOLDIER men today, she though, as she checked once more for any loose ends. Her hair was jet black, straight and cut into a choppy, playful style. Meia wasn't one to go for impeccably groomed, free-flowing tresses that you saw in all the magazines. She would often smirk at the female Shinra employee's, who tried their hardest to copy them. This style was much easier to handle. _And much more fun_, she thought to herself.

It was 08:42 now, so she pulled on a blue zip up hoodie, left her room and headed back into the Shinra building. Stepping inside the elevator, she swiped her ID card which prompted a list of floors she was eligible to access to appear on a touch screen pad beside the doors. She gently jabbed the icon for floor 49 and the lift doors closed, beginning her ascent. Meia took the time to compose herself one last time and try to get rid of the fluttering feeling that was manifesting somewhere in her stomach. Eventually the lift jolted to a halt and the doors pinged open, permitting her to step out and begin her two week special assignment.

She began walking down the corridor in her usual, confident stride, passing a few 2nd and 3rd class SOLDIER's as she went. No one came forward to greet her, so she decided to take a seat on one of the benches under the central windows and wait. Only a few more new faces walked past and, clutching a coffee with a file tucked under his arm, Lazard, director of SOLDIER. He nodded his head and smiled a pleasant "good morning" to her before disappearing down the corridor to the elevators.

He had emerged from the briefing room, Meia was sure, and she watched the door for any more signs of movement. A Second emerged and headed off in the opposite direction, and another seemingly in a hurry to catch up with the guy in front. Then a First. Someone she recognised. He wore a long red coat and held a small hardback book in his hand. He was followed by another. A First as well but she didn't really know his face. Aside from the rather large sword on his back, he didn't choose to wear any personal equipment so he didn't really stand out. Finally, someone she defiantly recognised stepped out. Aside from his trademark long black coat and gleaming, personally commissioned pauldrons, his flowing long silver hair made him pretty unmistakable. She watched them a few more moments before something clicked and a sickening lurch in her stomach made her realise...could she be assigned to them? Oh no...

Sure enough, the older First nodded his head towards her in conversation with the red coat and they both looked her way before all three made their way over to where she sat. Now, the Turks were on the same rank level as First class SOLDIERS but as she stood up, she still had to fight the urge to stand to full attention and salute, she felt that intimidated by these three all of a sudden and she felt like a rookie again.

"Good morning," The elder SOLDIER smiled and reached out his hand, "you must be Meia, the Turk, right?" She nodded in response and grasped his hand in a firm handshake,

"Well, I believe you're assigned to us for some personal training so...My name is Angeal..." She released his hand,

"This is Genesis..." She shook the red coat's hand next and he gave her a gentle smile,

"And this is Sephiroth..." She went to present her right hand, but he held out his left. Feeling a little sheepish she swapped hands and grasped his left hand with hers. She looked at him and was straight away startled by his eyes. They were by all means unique, bright glowing green and a slitted pupil...like a dragons, but they were familiar...she could swear she'd seen them before. Sephiroth gave her a slight nod and they released hands. She didn't want to say anything about the night before either, she was happy to assume he simply hadn't heard her...

"Right, come into the briefing room and we'll go over what we've been ordered to cover" Angeal led the way and she followed.

_A day earlier..._

"Are you serious Angeal?" Genesis drawled

"I'm afraid so. Apparently she needs extra training and Verdot seems to think additional Turk training would be too soft" Angeal replied, still scanning the personnel file on 'Meia LeSait'

Genesis played with the fastenings on the top of his boot, his feet crossed and firmly planted on the briefing room's smooth wooden conference table. He sighed,

"I was hoping for a few more quiet days to go over my screenplay. Alas! It will have to wait" He pulled out his much adored copy of 'Loveless' and began pouring through it.

"What with reports of Wutai spy's all over the place and assignments, I'm having trouble sticking to my deadlines" He carried on, to no one in particular. Sephiroth remained quiet, leaning on the table to the right of Genesis with his arms crossed.

"What do you think?" Angeal asked him a few moments later. Sephiroth pursed his lips and bowed his head slightly before speaking,

"I think Verdot is crazy if he expects a Turk to keep up with us in training. This seems slightly unfair. Maybe that's the whole point..." He said after a moment's pause, " What exactly did she do to warrant this anyway?" He got up and moved behind Angeal's chair, resting his hand on the back and reading the file over his friends shoulder.

"Hmm...Stuffed up a few missions apparently" Angeal replied after a mouthful of coffee. Sephiroth let out a soft 'hrump' and straightened up.

"So...Seth..." Sephiroth winced slightly. These two insisted on abbreviating his name though, mercifully, they didn't use the evil one that made his skin crawl. 'Sephy' he heard receptionists and secretaries' say when they thought he couldn't hear them. It drove him mad. As if any of them were on nickname basis anyway...

"What have you been sneaking about in sector 5 for lately?" Genesis continued, trying to hide a smirk behind his book. Damn it. He could have sworn no one had seen him, though he was hardly 'sneaking around'.

"That's none of your business" He replied, flicking a long lock of hair back over his shoulder. Angeal laughed.

"Oh come on, we know you've been going out there. What for? All your socks got holes in them..?"

"Shinra provides socks for us..."

"Need new underwear...?"

"Genesis..."

"What then?" Genesis closed his book and chuckled. Sephiroth was getting irritated. The necklace was nothing to do with them. But he could avoid a lot more bother if he just came clean about it...

"Fine. I found a necklace back on that Wutai job Angeal and I was assigned too. I've been getting it checked out. Happy now?" He took a step towards Genesis and fixed him with his eyes. His friend regarded him for a moment before replying,

"Is that it? Just when we were beginning to think you were going seedy on us..." Genesis uncrossed his legs and rested them on the floor again.

"Now now Genesis, don't wind him up like that. What he does in his free time is his business." _Thank you Angeal_, Sephiroth thought to himself and he strode out of the briefing room, leaving those two to their own devices.

He decided to head back to his apartment to see if any deliveries had come for him so he made his way out of the Shinra building and towards the residential block. First class SOLDIERS actually got their own small apartments rather than just a studio room that most employees living on site did, along with higher ranking members of the Turks. Executives of course had their own separate block on the other side of the main building that was altogether grander and a larger waste of money than the standard building. Still, the apartment floors were the higher ones, giving Sephiroth a nice, relatively private view of the surrounding city.

He held his ID card up to the electronic sensor beside the large double glass doors and they slid open, permitting him inside. The building was built like a large hollow tube. Two glass elevators ran up the core of the building and the rooms and apartments were built around the outsides, forming donut shaped floors. Sephiroth had to ride the elevator up and down from the 33rd floor each day he was in residence and he'd long since ran out of things to stare at as he rode the glass cylinder upwards for the first time today. Still, he mused, at least he wasn't the company's courier.

He stepped out onto his floor. Four apartments shared the upper layers of the building but only the residence opposite him was currently occupied, leaving the other two empty. Sephiroth rather enjoyed this. No neighbours. No noise to disturb him. Genesis and Angeal lived two floors down from him and had apartments side by side. He swiped his ID card again and keyed in a PIN to unlock his room and sure enough, he saw when he got inside, a package had been deposited in his mailbox. As he wasn't currently on assignment, didn't feel like walking back and also didn't feel like anymore intrusions from Genesis and Angeal, he decided to stay in his room for the rest of the day.

To the left of the entrance was a small, well lit, black painted room. It resembled a high end display room, used for jewellery or in museums to display their most prestigious works of art. Along one wall was a long railing with numerous hangers on it. All weather coats were arranged there; thick, fur lined quilted cold weather coats in varying grades of warmth. Shorter leather coats, several copies of his favourite long leather coat, even a wetsuit. To one side of the coat wall were glass cabinets housing all sorts of specialist gear, neatly arranged and categorised. The opposite wall was where he kept his day to day uniform, the standard SOLDIER pants in leather with his own personal items and lastly, the wall with the door was used to store footwear. He had several pairs of his long black boots made; cold weather ones lined with fur, featuring thick treads with studs were the only variant; others were just standard and spares.

Sephiroth stepped inside and went through the routine of releasing the straps that secured his shoulder armour in place and shrugged it off, deftly catching it as it fell behind him. He hoisted it up onto a specially made stand that resembled a sturdy dressmaker's form and more out of habit than necessity, as he'd hardly done anything today, checked it over for signs of wear and tear. Satisfied they were in good order he removed his coat and hung it up on another form-like stand next to his pauldrons. He removed his gloves next and placed them on the lit glass top of a set of metal lockable drawers to the side of the uniform stands. Sephiroth rolled his shoulders and stretched a little before removing the rest of his uniform and storing it away for the day. He pulled on a pair of warm loose track pants and a plain V-necked shirt, grabbed his mail and sat down on his sofa.

The package contained his necklace plus details on its creation. He'd left it with the shop to have it repaired, cleaned and fitted for a case, with strict instructions to be picked up by a Shinra courier only. He gently took the case out of its bubble wrap and opened it. Now it had been cleaned, the necklace looked even more beautiful, he could see the marbling of the mythril clearly now. He cupped the sapphire pendent in his hand so he could see it glow and now the tarnishing had been cleaned away, the luminescence reflected off the threads that made up the spun cage around the teardrop. He placed it gently back in its case and got up to put it away. He decided against it however, so he placed it on his writing desk, open, so he could see it. He liked the fact that it reminded him of a nicer time in his past. Even though he'd only met the girl for a few short minutes, she showed him more kindness than a lot of people had shown him over the course of months. He let his mind wander as he made himself a pot of green tea and settled back onto his sofa to spend the rest of the day doing research.

###

...

..._Se...ir..._

_...Sephir...h..._

His eyes opened slowly. His mind was still foggy and he drifted in that nowhere space...when you didn't know if you were still dreaming or awake. He blinked a few times. It was dark. Sephiroth? That was his name, wasn't it? He blinked again and brought a hand up to his face. Slowly the fog cleared and whoever was calling to him was soon forgotten. Just another lost dream. He rubbed his eyelids gently and rested his hand on his forehead.

His television set was tuned into the news and he listened for a moment. Seems reports of Wutai spies in the cities were unsettling the locals. Small-scale blackouts were being reported, supposedly to serve as distractions but people were not to worry; Shinra's security dept. and the Turks were there to protect them. He must have drifted off while reading again. He sat up and gathered up the files and books that were in danger of slipping off his cotton covered stomach. What was the time? He opened the small notebook laptop on his coffee table. 17:41. Next he looked at his phone and opened the mail that was flashing away at him;

_Going out for a few drinks. You in?_

_G&A_

Not tonight he thought. He wasn't in the mood,

_No thank you. Have fun._

He keyed in the message and watched it send. Not content with spending most of the day sedentary, he decided to head off and swim laps. Being in the water allowed him to work all his muscles and as he'd done virtually nothing all day, getting them all done at once was a bonus.

As with all of Shinra's training facilities, the pool was very large and modern and open to employees only. If he wanted too, Sephiroth could order everyone out of it leaving him free to swim in peace. But he figured he'd share it. _Because I'm so nice_, he thought. It wasn't too busy anyway from what he'd seen on his way past the vast glass windows. Only a few fellow SOLDIERS's, some businessmen and a woman.

He chose a quite spot in the changing areas and pulled off the clothes he was wearing. He was by no means shy about his appearance, but he didn't like people looking at him too much. Which they had a habit of doing. Though, he thought pulling on his form fitting swim shorts, why do I bare my chest all the time? He mused over this for a while before dismissing it, remembering he didn't like the itchy, rough SOLDIER issue jerseys and hadn't got round to finding something else. Besides, he liked leather.

Sephiroth fumbled around in his bag for a hair tie and slipped it over his hand. Dragging his fingers through the long locks framing his face, he yanked and gathered them high at the back of his head and scooped the main mass up to join them, securing the whole operation with the tie. He grabbed his pair of eye goggles and made his way out to the pool.

Fifty lengths later, the pool was mostly empty except for the woman. She was still going strong. He finished up his current lap and hauled himself out the water to take a breather, hardly making a noise as he climbed up and sat down on the side. The goggles wrapped around his head were beginning to get sore so he yanked them down around his neck and rubbed the red marks that began to appear. They vanished almost immediately. He watched the woman swim her laps. He thought he recognised her but now he was sure. She was one of the Turks sent to collect them in Wutai. He couldn't recall her name but she seemed like a competent person. The lights flickered ominously as he watched her a little while more before replacing his goggles and sliding back into the pool.

He hadn't swam more than three laps however when a mild emergency occurred. A blackout. He pulled up halfway through his stroke and removed his goggles again. They were tinted and he was virtually blind in the dark wearing them. _On the job indeed,_ Sephiroth thought, treading water. Then there was a soft splash and a watery thud, followed by a lot of cursing,

"Arg! Son of a bitch..." He looked towards the sound... "Hello? Are you still in the pool too...?" The woman called out to the darkness. Sephiroth nodded, before realising that his standard response wouldn't work in the dark...

"Yes. Are you hurt?" He swam to the side of the pool he thought was the closest and pulled himself out and onto his feet. It may have been pitch black but, thanks to his unique eyes, could see better in the dark than most people. He could make out edges and shapes and that was good enough for him. He just had to be careful not to slip. Not that anyone would see him anyway he reminded himself.

"A little, lights went out as I was turning. Hit my head..." came her reply. "Are you ok...?"

"I'm fine. Best to sit on the side until the lights come on again"

"Yea...good idea" He heard what he presumed was her getting out. She seemed fine so he headed off to the showers to wash the chlorine off himself. He heard her try to say something else to him but he didn't feel like standing around and talking, dripping wet, cold and exposed so kept walking and didn't respond…

So the next day when he shook her hand, he hoped she wouldn't bring it up. She didn't, merely peering at his eyes for a few moments. She seemed content with letting it go. Or maybe she'd forgotten about it. Sephiroth studied her as she was led into the conference room. She had an air of familiarity about her. Not because he's seen her a few times now, it was something else, something subtle like déjà vu. Frustratingly though, he couldn't work out where the feeling was coming from.


	5. Chapter 5 Pulled punches

**Chapter 5**

Pulled punches, broken jaws

Meia sat down at the conference table first and Angeal sat next to her, placing her file on the table before him. Genesis and Sephiroth leaned on the wall behind them, happy to let Angeal handle all the talking. It was his 'big brother' thing after all, he enjoyed it.

"Ok, we've been given instructions to train you for two weeks by Verdot. He's advised that 'anything goes, as long as it's tough" He stated, reading from the file. Meia swallowed.

"We'll start with a fitness test then, see how much you can take so we know what needs improving. We'll record your ghost to train against as well. Are you ok? You look nervous..."

"Heh, I am. It's not every day your director orders you to training with three First Class SOLDIERS. I just hope I don't fall behind too much and waste your time" She stated.

"Well. We'll try and be gentle" Angeal said, rising out of his seat,

"Please, don't be. The last thing I want is to be babied. I either take what you give me or I fail" She stated confidently. Sephiroth raised an eyebrow and looked at Genesis, who was watching her with an amused look on his face. Angeal nodded and she rose with him.

They began with a standard endurance test, running between two points in time with a set of bleeps that got gradually quicker. Sephiroth declared himself judge for this one, sitting out while the remaining three ran. He was impressed with Meia's performance but he pulled her out before she collapsed. Still, she'd done the same if not more than the third classes who took this test.

Next they tested her combat abilities. Naturally, her marksmanship was very good. All Turks were trained to use firearms to the highest standard, their aims honed to deadly pinpoint accuracy. They gave her a standard SOLDIER sword to use next, but she wasn't as well trained with a blade, which was apparent when she fought Genesis. His blows hammered down on her like a behemoth, each parried strike jarring the bones of her arms as she struggled to deflect his advances. At no point could she go on the attack and this frustrated her.

Next up, Sephiroth tested her hand to hand abilities. She was trained in this area, but her opponent's height was intimidating. As was his calm, steady composure. And his speed… He was almost smirking, she though, as she tried her hardest to block his blows. But again, and despite being more confident in this area, she could not identify a window in which to attack him.

Meia was beginning to tire and lose focus. Twice she thought she had a chance to attack, but both times she was reversed and pushed away. Then she failed to bring her arms up in time to defend her face and Sephiroth clipped her jaw with his gloved fist.

It was like being hit by a train.

She reeled back, lost her footing and tumbled over. She couldn't recover; her ears rang and her face screamed in pain. The shockwave from the blow had hit every nerve and then some. She could have sworn her jaw was broken, but when she touched it gingerly there was no sign of a break. Meia shook her head. She was aware of Angeal crouching beside her saying something but she couldn't make it out, so she held her hand up. He fell silent again and she closed her eyes and focused. Things were beginning to come back. She blinked several times and looked up at Sephiroth standing over her, his expression hinting at concern but making no move to check if she was alright,

"Can you hear me now?" Angeal asked again. She nodded. "Ah, that's a relief. We thought your jaw was gone. Luckily it was just a glancing blow or it would have been a break for sure" He helped Meia to her feet. She felt so stupid. So novice. Even though she knew by all rights she was out matched, she still couldn't help feeling embarrassed.

They broke for lunch and she headed off alone without a word.

"You were going in with a full swing, weren't you?" Genesis asked Sephiroth when she was out of earshot. The tall SOLDIER nodded.

"I was, but I saw she wasn't going to block it so I pulled the punch and tried to miss but..." He hesitated, "well, pulled it more than it was already"

Angeal and Genesis knew Sephiroth was barely trying. He had to pull his punches or the severity of them would break her bones even through a perfect, solid block. She was only a Turk after all. They headed to the food hall as well.

* * *

"She looked pretty crestfallen" Genesis said through a mouthful of chicken wrap. Sephiroth looked at him in disgust.

"Do you think she'll come back?"

"I hope so..." Sephiroth replied "To be honest I thought she wouldn't be able to so much as defend against us but she did quite well" Angeal and Genesis looked surprised. It wasn't like him to express interest in someone they were training, be it SOLDIER or Turk or anyone. He quickly realised this was out of character for him, so Sephiroth closed his eyes in his usual haughty way and went back to eating his lunch.

They continued to trial Meia at various disciplines during the day, but noted she had lost some of her spark since Sephiroth had hit her and she was dismissed feeling utterly miserable. What an awesome first day. She returned to her room and showered, taking care around her bruised face. She examined it in her mirror while she dried off. A nice purple lump had taken form by now; it was going to be an impressive shiner in the morning. She sighed and went to bed, feeling utterly exhausted.

Over the following week, Meia was pushed to her limits by the SOLDIERS. After the first day, sporting her bruised face, she was determined to give it her all and they saw steady improvement as the days went by. They taught her how to use a sword properly and pitted her against her ghost data each day, watching her from all angles to make sure her form was good. She was actually beginning to enjoy herself, despite only just being able to stay ahead of the SOLDIERS. This was intentional, she knew. Despite her request, Meia was fully aware they were lowering themselves to her level. They had too; she didn't stand a chance if they didn't.

On the tenth day, snow covered Midgar in a soft white blanket and while it didn't last long, the crisp, slightly fresher air remained. Meia stood on the canteen balcony on the 25th floor and looked out over the city. A chill crept up her body and she shivered against it, tucking her chin into her zipped up hoodie. She held her cup of well-earned mocha with both hands for warmth.

Today had been her best yet. She had kicked her ghost data's arse, successfully dodged and guarded all of Sephiroth's hits and no longer felt like a giant bag of bricks was being dropped on her when she parried Genesis' blade. She sipped her coffee and smiled. She only had four days left and the thought of her special assignment coming to an end saddened her. She enjoyed being mentored closely like this. Once she had made it into the Turks, virtually all training stopped except marksmanship assessments every month. It was up to the individuals to develop themselves which was fine, but there was nothing like being coached by three personal trainers. Who happened to be SOLDIERS's she added, taking another swig of her coffee.

She also had grown to enjoy their company. Angeal was the kind of big brother figure everyone wanted; he was patient, supportive and very warm. He did the most coaching so didn't actually fight her as much. Genesis was different altogether. He held himself perfectly at all times, like a stage actor practicing his performance. Most people at Shinra knew him for the play he studied, Loveless, so Meia figured it was normal behaviour. You could tell he was more playful but worked to keep it contained, trying to remain professional in front of someone he didn't know that well.

Then there was Sephiroth. Everyone had heard of Sephiroth, so when she saw him standing there on the first day she felt like she wanted to be ill from nerves. She leaned against the balcony and remembered the night before. He had just walked off and ignored her when she tried to talk to him in the pool and he didn't seem any friendlier when he shook her hand the next morning. And when he hit her, well...she felt utterly put out. But she didn't know whether this was normal behavior for him or he had a problem with her, he was so hard to read.

But as each day went by, little by little, he opened up. Yesterday he even asked her how her jaw felt. It was the first time he had spoken to her properly. She was slightly stunned and spent a few seconds simply looking at him, until a subtle raise of his eyebrows prompted her to answer. A smile played itself across her face and she felt her cheeks flush slightly. _So, this is how most women feel when they see him,_ Meia thought. All the time in the ladies changing rooms, she would hear his name giggled and thrown around. Like a pack of wild animals salivating over their dinner. She even heard of fan clubs, not just for Sephiroth but for other people too, including Angeal and Genesis. There was no denying the fact he was beautiful and his personality was alluring. But getting past the facade was hard work. Nice to look at, a challenge to get to know, she thought.

* * *

He sat at his desk in the dark, admiring the feint blue glow coming from the box in front of him. Sephiroth's search had run into a wall and it was frustrating him. He had found the town the desk originated from and it was the same town he'd stayed in that summer. And met the girl. But trying to find out about her was difficult; it seems that hardly anyone who lived there now could recall an elderly grandfather and his granddaughter. He laced his long fingers together and rested his head on them, sighing gently. Maybe he'd take a break for a while and try again later, before it drove him to distraction.

He shut the necklace away and turned the lights on again. He stood up and reached into his pocket for his phone. No messages. He hesitated a moment and contemplated sending a note to Meia...he was quite impressed with her improvement, but what would he say? He stared at the screen but eventually threw it on his bed and forgot about the idea.


	6. Chapter 6 Apple mint

**Chapter 6**

Apple mint

It was the end of her last day. Meia had beaten her final ghost, Genesis was happy with her swordplay and Sephiroth was...satisfied...with her unarmed progress. Genesis and Angeal sat down with her in the conference room again, giving tips and advice on how to carry on without them. Sephiroth was there too, but he sat silently, working on the report he would be submitting to Verdot. He did say goodbye however when she left for her evening meal, standing up to shake her hand before she left the room,

"She's sweet" Genesis said when the door to the corridor closed, "Like a sister we never had" He laughed and sat down. Angeal agreed and did likewise. Sephiroth stopped typing, the statement distracting him. He thought for a moment before sighing through his nose and carrying on with his report.

* * *

Meia sat alone in the canteen, playing with her meal. Although very pleased with herself she couldn't help the twinge of sadness that accompanied her success. It was refreshing and enjoyable spending two weeks with competent people that taught her things, rather than two idiots who could only teach her the meaning of patience. She chased a cherry tomato around her plate with her fork absent mindedly. Part of her wanted to stay with SOLDIER, the other part wanted to return to the Turks. But she wondered what she was more attracted too; the feeling of success or the company of the SOLDIERS...

She left her dinner half eaten and headed downstairs to take a walk. The evening was crisp and chilly but she was wearing a long sleeved roll neck so she figured the walk would warm her up. She wandered down in to sector 8. Merchants had set up small stalls peddling handmade gifts and treats; the Winter festival of Light was defiantly approaching now, she thought. She passed a stand selling various different sizes of evergreen fir trees and next to that several stands selling decorations and adornments. _Ah, if only real trees were allowed in my room_, Meia thought. Employees in studio rooms had to settle for fake plastic ones, decorated with a year's worth of dust. Real ones smelt lovely, resin and the fresh scent of pine oil. Reminded her of her grandfather's house.

A twinge of sadness pulled at her heart; she'd lost him young after he fell ill one summer. Her mother took him to a doctor but they were told he didn't have very long to live at all. A silent illness that eventually consumed him. All her memories of him were happy ones. Endless days playing in the fields; he even gave her sweets if she came home with grass stains on her knees. It was healthy to have fun, he told her, so play, get dirty and live. Meia smiled and blinked away the tears in her eyes.

She found she had let her mind wander while staring at a green bauble she had somehow picked up. She turned it over, it was lovely. Simple green but translucent and slightly luminous. Reminded her of the boy she met; now she thought about her granddad. Then something clicked and she stared at the bauble, recalling the memory of the boy. He was chasing materia, wasn't he? She saw him tumble to the ground after a bad fall. She'd caught the cool green orb and rushed to help him. His eyes...reminded her of the materia. She looked down again. His eyes...Sephiroth's eyes? No way, Meia thought, the boy was Sephiroth? She shut her eyes and tried to focus on the memory. She was almost certain it was him now, the silky head of silver hair leapt out of her memory as well and she couldn't believe she hadn't realised it sooner.

Meia replaced the bauble, tucked her hands into the pockets of her trousers and wandered to the fountain that stood in the centre of the square. She wanted to ask him, but she didn't have the courage. She couldn't just march up to him and start prying into his past, he didn't give the impression he'd tolerate it. Her hand gripped the phone in her pocket. A message wouldn't hurt, would it? She pulled it out and began typing but stopped before she could finish. She just didn't have the courage. She snapped the phone shut again and replaced it in her pocket. Meia let out a sigh and watched the vapour tumble out her mouth and into the sky, it was getting cold and she decided to walk back to the Shinra building, feeling a little frustrated with her lack of confidence. She couldn't quite shake the swimming pool incident; she didn't want to feel silly again.

* * *

He brought his hand up and waved a quick farewell to his friends before the elevator doors closed and cut them out. Genesis and Angeal wanted to get some sparring practice in before they retired and Sephiroth left them too it. He had finished the report he needed to send to Verdot, all he needed to do was proof read it before it was passed on, but he could do that in his apartment.

Sephiroth stepped out into the chilly evening air and inhaled deeply. The air wasn't really fresh, but at least it wasn't dry from the result of air-conditioning. As he made his way to the residential block, he noticed someone in front of him. A woman with her hair down but it was a little too gloomy to tell if he knew her or not...

* * *

As usual, a massive amount of water had collected in various puddles around the entrance to the residential block; Meia noticed a delicate lattice of ice had begun to form on their surfaces as she negotiated a dry path through them. She realised just how cold it was; her fingers were sluggish and frozen and she fumbled around in her pocket, trying to grip her ID card with numb digits. She grasped it and pulled at it but it snagged on the way out and it fell from her hand straight into a puddle under the reader. She uttered a mild curse and bent to pick it up, her dead fingers fumbling uselessly around it. Now they were cold AND wet, she thought as she straightened and made an attempt to line it up right. But then a long black arm, accompanied by the smell of leather and something that hinted of apple-mint, reached past her shoulder and opened the door for her,

"Hello again Meia" Came the rich, unmistakable sound of Sephiroth's voice.


	7. Chapter 7 Lost and found

**Chapter 7**

Lost and found

"_Plasters make smooshed knees all better....you'll see!"_

_......._

_...._

Meia flushed slightly but managed to say 'thank you' to Sephiroth as she stepped through the doors in front of him and she jammed her card back into her pocket. He stepped through behind her and strode past, heading to the elevators. Meia threw her previous caution to the winds and called after him,

"Hey, can I ask you something?" she stated, rubbing her hands together to try to regain some feeling again. Sephiroth stopped and looked over his shoulder,

"What is it?" He replied.

She took a breath, "Do you remember meeting a little girl when you were younger?"

"I met a lot of little girls when I was a child. You're going to have to be more specific than that" He still didn't turn to face her. Feeling stupid again, Meia continued,

"Ah, sorry, I meant...do you remember a girl helping you? It was summer time...in a small town near Mideel"

Sephiroth thought for a moment before realising. Could Meia be...? The co-incidence was astounding though. Almost as if it was intentional. He turned and looked at her. Now he studied her more closely...the resemblance was there. The jet black hair, the genuine smile, the bright, milky blue eyes...

"Perhaps. Were you staying with your grandfather?"

"Yes! You'd fallen down the hill outside your house, I gave you..." She hesitated "Uh... A pink plaster for your knees..." She looked away to hide a flush she felt creep up her face.

Sephiroth smirked. The pink plasters. "Then yes. I remember her" She looked at him, was he smiling?

"Did that little girl also happen to lose a necklace?"

"You...do you have it? Did you find my necklace?" Meia looked shocked now. Sephiroth nodded,

"I believe I did. Come with me" And he turned to head towards the elevator again. Meia couldn't believe her luck. It seemed impossible now she thought about it. She jogged to join him in the glass elevator and he keyed in his floor. Meia felt warmer now, and quite happy. But that was soon replaced with awkwardness as they stood in silence, though Sephiroth didn't seem bothered at all. She risked a glance at his back. Standing this close to him, she felt the full effect of his height. He was incredibly tall, around six foot six she thought, a head above her at least. His hair was perfectly straight and well kept. It was probably the source of the very subtle sweet smell that was steadily filling the space they were in. Her eyes began to wander down, but then the elevator pinged to a halt and she jumped, feeling embarrassed but suppressing it well. She followed him out towards what she presumed was his room. Only there weren't as many doors this high up, she noticed. Only four in fact. Did he get a whole apartment? Sephiroth asked her to wait outside while he disappeared through one of the doors and she did so patiently. A little while later he re-appeared holding a case. He opened it carefully and Meia couldn't help but beam with delight. Inside was the necklace her Grandma and Granddad gave her, looking as beautiful as the day she'd unwrapped it back when she was six years old. She fought back tears; she remembered the horrible day her Grandfather was taken ill and then realising she'd lost the necklace as well. She cried all day and all night. Her Mother went back to the town to look for it, but there was no sign of it anywhere.

"You kept it? All these years?" She asked him, wiping away a stray tear that had escaped.

"Not exactly..." He replied softly. He could see she was moved. He thought for a moment, before deciding to do something very unlike him;

"Why don't you meet me tomorrow in the evening? I can explain then" Did She just hear that right?

"Sure" She sniffed and looked at him properly this time; he was smiling at her. The first soft, gentle smile she had ever seen from him. Maybe he was human after all...

Sephiroth closed the box again and handed it to her, bade her goodnight and went back inside his apartment, leaving her standing there alone. And for the first time in a very long while, she released control...and began to cry freely.

Sephiroth listened on the other side of the door. Was this happiness? Or pain...he couldn't tell. Maybe it was both. He thought what it must feel like to allow yourself to let go of your emotions like that, to not care what anyone thought of you and to just let it out. He sighed. It just wasn't like him. Everything he felt he contained; only hints of what he was feeling made it to the surface. He heard Meia compose herself after a short time and leave, her sniffles getting fainter as she moved away from the door.

Meia spent most of the following day checking her phone, but no messages arrived. Verdot called her in first thing and was very happy with the reports handed to him from SOLDIER. Angeal praised her, said she was a breath of fresh air to train and was looking forward to meeting her again. Genesis mentioned he would be happy to continue coaching her any time she needed it. Sephiroth noted she had a unique ability to learn and apply herself to any given task. And that she had a solid jaw. Meia couldn't help a knowing smile when Verdot read this, a puzzled look crossing his face. He also informed her, to her complete relief, that for now she wouldn't be sent on any missions alongside Reno and Rude.

She had no assignments, so spent most of the day training. Her ghost data had been shared with the Turks training facilities, so she practiced with that. But it wasn't the same without her mentors there to help her. After lunch she headed to the pool early, but she still hadn't received anything through on her phone and she was beginning to loose heart. Had he forgot? Doubtful...maybe he'd changed his mind, she thought.

It wasn't until she'd finished her swim, showered and was getting dressed again that her phone blipped. The girl she was talking too looked at her in a 'are you going to check that?' kinda way. She wasn't sure if she should...she was surrounded by the pack of wolves after all. Meia sat down on the bench and her friend started talking again as if nothing happened, so she figured it would be safe to check;

* * *

_I'll meet you in the lobby in an hour. Wear something warm this time._

_S_

_* * *_

"S? Who's 'S' Meia?"

Meia jumped and snapped the handset shut,

"None of your business! You're so nosy..." She huffed. Her friend laughed,

"It's about time you saw some action, honestly. You're in the Turks. You're surrounded by hot guys in suits. What I'd give to be in that position..."

"Maybe you should join then" Meia replied, pulling on a ribbed vest.

"Tch! Puh-lease. You know how much I spend on my nails Honey?" Meia shook her head. "Besides...it's SOLDIER I really want to be surrounded by...." and her friend walked out, leaving Meia questioning the woman's intentions on seeking Shinra employment.

Sephiroth stood alone in the lobby, waiting patiently for Meia. He was early, as usual. He flexed his fingers gently inside his warm fleece lined leather gloves. Weather reports showed temperatures below freezing this evening and although the cold didn't really bother him, he opted for gloves and a thigh length wool jacket with a hood. And a scarf. Maybe he was slightly bothered, he mused. Meia arrived right on time, trotting down the stairs from the elevators. He was glad to see she'd followed his instructions and worn a coat and gloves this time. She spotted him before the last flight and smiled; he nodded in response and moved to meet her.

They walked from the Shinra building into sector 8 where the stalls from the previous night were all set up again. Sephiroth walked slightly ahead of her and stayed mostly silent, seemingly taking her somewhere rather than walking and talking. Even though his hair was tucked securely in his jacket she still got subtle hints of fragrance, rose tonight. She felt less nervous today, having not done anything to humiliate herself beforehand this time she happily walked along with him in silence. She just hoped no one from the changing rooms had seen her. They turned down into Loveless Avenue which was busier than usual. Quite a lot of bright stalls were set up here, taking advantage of the popular spot to tout for business. The smell of roasted chestnuts and donuts filled her nostrils. He led her quite a way down and stopped at a small but rather cute cafe and selected a table out front in the street. She was surprised when he politely pulled out a chair for her to sit on and then seated himself opposite. The little things he now did that he wouldn't of before were starting to give Meia an idea of what Sephiroth was like as a person. Not just a SOLDIER. An energetic waitress bounded out of the cafe, eager to take their orders; Meia requested an oversized latte and Sephiroth refused anything. He waited until Meia's drink had been delivered before he started to talk.

He explained everything that he remembered happening back when they were children. How he'd found it lying on the floor after she had disappeared and trying to find her the next day. Meia nodded sedately and sipped her drink, containing the memories for now. She didn't want to cry again, not here. People would probably think Sephiroth was upsetting her intentionally which might result in an embarrassing scene. He picked up on her discomfort however and paused a moment, observing her with unblinking eyes. So, she was also good at hiding her emotions when she had too, he thought to himself,

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to stir old feelings again" He said gently. Meia smiled sadly at him,

"Its fine...wait, again?" She paused, her cup halfway to her lips. He contemplated telling her what he heard the previous night but decided not to; he didn't want to humiliate her,

"Yes. I should imagine they surfaced when I gave it back to you last night"

"Ah, well...yea they did a bit" She lied, taking a longer swig this time. "Thank you again, by the way. That necklace means a lot to me...Thank you, for keeping hold of it. Probably not worth much anyway" She laughed.

"Well, actually..." And Sephiroth proceeded to tell her exactly what it was worth and all the digging he'd done in the past few weeks. Meia simply stared at him in disbelief; it was worth that much...and still he'd kept it?

"I...I really don't know what to say" She mumbled and cast her gaze down, "I can pay for the appraisals and repairs...I really had no idea" She began to fumble about in her jacket for her wallet but a soft chuckle stopped her,

"Please, don't worry about it. You can owe me one instead, how does that sound?" He smiled genuinely again. Meia wondered how often he did that...

"Sure, ok then" She didn't want to argue, even if it wasn't something serious or work related, he just didn't seem the type of person you'd disagree with. She watched as he lent back in his chair and exhaled a big puff of vapour and watched it drift upwards, was he uncomfortable? Bored? She couldn't tell...

"Meia, have you ever thought of joining SOLDIER?" He said suddenly. The question caught her off guard and she thought a moment before replying,

"I guess I have yea, but I don't know...I like being in the Turks. I really don't think I have what it takes to be a SOLDIER..."

Her reply puzzled him, "But you did so well with us, and you showed a lot of confidence. Why do you think that?"

Meia began to feel uncomfortable all of a sudden. It was a valid question…what could she say that wouldn't sound too pathetic…

"I guess...I really don't know. I haven't thought it through properly to be honest. I'm happy where I am at the moment"

Sephiroth blinked and looked away. Ah...he didn't look impressed Meia thought and sipped her coffee to steady her nerves.

"Well. That's a shame" He said finally, rising out of his seat as he did so. He reached into his pocket and placed a few coins in front of her,

"For the coffee. Good night Meia, take care of yourself" And without another word, he walked past her and left. Meia stared at the space he was sitting in not moments before. So that was it, her evening with Sephiroth was over. She turned quickly, hoping to catch a glimpse of him walking through the crowds but he was already gone. As she finished her coffee and paid the waitress, she knew that all she could have expected was a short chat. But she felt like the façade was finally cracking and she yearned to know more. Another feeling to supress, she thought to herself.


	8. Chapter 8 She is human

Thank you for the reviews so far, I'm glad at least a few people like it =)

**Chapter 8**

She is human…

Several weeks went by after that evening without anything else interesting happening. Winter was in her prime now, temperatures were bitter at best and snow had begun to settle in the city. Sephiroth sat in the briefing room with several other members of SOLDIER, including Genesis and Angeal, awaiting the arrival of Lazard. Apparently several issues needed addressing,

"Just like the trains," Angeal said while they were waiting, "Nothing for ages then everything comes at once..." Genesis replied with a short hiccup of a laugh and buried himself in his book again. Lazard hurried through the door several minutes later, seemingly slightly flustered and harassed,

"Good morning gentlemen" He said with a sigh and gestured for everyone to sit down.

It emerged that the Wutai army had placed spies and operatives all over the globe. Shinra were apparently unconcerned but lately they had shown signs of increasing hostility, attacking company complexes and personnel closer to Midgar. Genesis and Angeal were to take a team each and investigate separate claims while Sephiroth...

"We have a special one for you this time" Lazard said, shifting in his seat to face him, "The Turks managed to capture one of the spies and squeeze some information out of him" Sephiroth crossed a leg over his knee and watched the information scroll up the screen in front of him,

"Apparently the Wutai have their hands on a powerful weapon and have it stashed close to Howl's summit town, here" A red dot appeared on a map of the northern continent, east of the Icicle Inn settlement. "The spy wouldn't tell us anything else though, even after persuasion...but he hinted that the mako reactor there was somehow involved. A top Shinra scientist has also gone missing. He was last seen at Howl's summit and is presumed kidnapped. He was meant to be supervising a project at the reactor there. That's why we're sending you. The President wants you to handle this one. A member of the Turks will also be accompanying you to assess the impact on the company's reputation..." As if on cue, the door to the briefing room slid open to admit a person wearing the trade mark blue suit uniform of the Turks,

"I apologise for my tardiness Director" Came a familiar voice. Meia flicked a stray wisp of hair out of her eyes.

"Please don't think anything of it. You haven't missed much, have a seat" Lazard smiled and gestured to a spare chair next to Sephiroth. She nodded and sat down; casting a sideways glance at the SOLDIER but his gaze was firmly fixed on the brief in front of him. She pursed her lips and watched her own screen as Lazard continued.

After their evening meeting, Meia had clung to a small hope that she would at least receive a message or two from Sephiroth, but nothing ever arrived. She ran into Genesis one day and asked if he was doing well. Genesis simply answered that he was fine and no one knew what he was really feeling anyway. He also mentioned that he didn't really like to send messages, preferring to instead use a phone for what it was meant to do; make calls. Meia looked startled but Genesis simply laughed,

"I've seen you check your phone constantly Meia, I know what you're hoping for. Try not to worry about it too much"

Knew what she was hoping for. She didn't even know what she wanted from him if she was honest with herself, "Oh, you do eh? I guess...i was just worried in case, you know...he had a problem with me"

"Haha, no. If he has a problem with you, well....there would be no doubt in your mind. He actually likes you and Sephiroth only likes a handful of people he meets. So as I said, don't worry" And Genesis smiled and left.

He has a funny way of showing someone he likes them, Meia thought as she sat at the table next to him. Lazard concluded his briefing and dismissed himself. Most of the SOLDIERS followed him out, leaving the three firsts, a couple of seconds going over the briefs again and Meia. She stared at the screen. The northern continent, it would be nice to get some fresh air. Midgar air was dirty and polluted and hardly ever smelt clean. She stood up and was greeted by Angeal,

"It's nice to see you again. You look lovely by the way" He said, grasping her hand in a warm handshake. She had worn her hair down this time, as she usually does, but she realised Angeal had never seen it like this. Meia smiled at him,

"Thank you Angeal. Been keeping well, I hope?" He nodded and looked down at Sephiroth, who was still reading, and shook his head. She followed his gaze and looked back at him again, shrugging. Angeal crossed the room to the other side of the table and joined Genesis, presumably to discuss their team formations. She sighed and began to walk away,

"Meia...look at this with me please" Sephiroth asked suddenly. She hesitated a moment, before resuming her place next to him and moving her chair slightly closer so she could see properly. A series of photographs were arranged on the screen. Aside from a lot of snow, you couldn't really see much. They also looked like they were taken in a hurry. The last two were interesting though. There was a shape in the blanket of white but whether it was just part of the rocks or something else...she couldn't tell. Sephiroth brought the last photo forward with a flick of his finger on the screen and zoomed in a little bit,

"What does that look like?" He asked her, pointing a gloved digit at a strange looking mass on the screen. Meia lent in closer, she couldn't tell...

"Looks like...rocks, no...Wait, something else...?" Sephiroth looked at her a moment before rising. "We're heading out in two hours, we should get ready" And he left the briefing room.

* * * *

Reaching the cold northern continent was sometimes as simple as a ride in a helicopter but with the weather as it was, it was deemed too risky. Instead they would need to take a ship from Junon to a small port established on the continents south coast where a specialized chopper would be waiting to take them the rest of the way.

The operation was defiantly low man; seemingly the president's faith in Sephiroth was so great he could be trusted to do missions alone. Plus one Turk of course. Meia stood at the stern of the cargo ship that was steadily cutting its way through the murky dark sea, wearing a large quilted coat to keep warm. The boat itself was hauling supplies up to the Shinra bases as well as transporting the pair of them. The ride so far had been calm and smooth with no hint of sickness. Meia wasn't even sure she got motion sickness, but she wouldn't be tested by these conditions. She took a sip from the plastic cup she held in her mittened hands; the brew within that called itself coffee was revolting. She screwed her face up. Can't expect much better from a standard issue free coffee machine, Meia thought. It was simply hot coffee flavoured water. Tasted like the lines hadn't been cleaned in a while either. Unable to drink anymore she poured the rest overboard, watching the wind splatter it all over the ship's hull and searched for a bin to dispose the cheap cup in. Hopefully Howl's Summit had a halfway decent method of making her favourite drink.

She resumed her position on the stern's rail and watched the frothy wake billow from the turbines under the water's surface. Over the low thundering sound she heard footsteps approaching her from behind. A member of the crew? No...They walked like un-composed behemoths with four left feet; these footfalls were soft and light. Sephiroth, Meia concluded, her theory confirmed a moment later when a black gloved hand gripped the railing beside her left elbow,

"The captain estimates we'll arrive at port just before dawn, conditions permitting" He stated, looking off into the distance. Meia nodded in acknowledgment and straightened up. He didn't appear to want to leave yet however, maybe he had something else he wanted to say. She placed her hands in her pockets, waiting. She had now learnt, from experience and with the help of Genesis that just because he was silent, it didn't mean anything other than he simply didn't have anything to say. It's the chatter riddled world, with its computers, televisions, and radios, which told us silence was bad. Silence was becoming a rare indulgence these days and Meia would feel uncomfortable normally. But she wasn't, not with Sephiroth anymore at least. It was just how he was. She understood that now.

They spent a good while watching the sun gradually make its way closer to the horizon on their right before Sephiroth spoke again,

"Have you given any more thought to my question Meia?" He asked, still unmoving. Meia assumed he meant the photo's in the briefing room,

"Hmm, a little. I just can't work out if its normal or something we should be concerned about...." She scuffed a patch of rust on the deck with her shoe. Sephiroth Paused a moment before turning to face her, his head tilted to one side slightly,

"Normal? There isn't anything normal about it..." He hesitated, "Are you sure you know what question I was referring too? She looked at him, looking lost herself now.

"I think we just confused each other..." She faced him as well now and crossing her arms over her chest, pursing her lips. Sephiroth blinked, thinking, before replying,

"My apologies...I was referring to you joining SOLDIER"

"I thought you meant the photo's in the briefing room"

Sephiroth let out a low chuckle and turned to face the railing again, "Sorry, I wasn't very clear"

Meia smiled and shook her head, perching on the barrier behind her so she was facing the ship now.

"If I'm honest with you, no. I just...don't know" She shook her head. She had her reasons of course, but opening up and telling Sephiroth, of all people, just didn't feel right. She assumed he didn't care for emotional reasoning and didn't want to impose her feelings on him. But what was she afraid of? Offending him? Or something else...

She felt him straighten up to his full height. Wasn't impressed, again, she thought,

"Meia, I would like you think about it seriously. SOLDIER could use more good people. Our numbers have been decreasing for some time now. We're losing a lot of members to the war with Wutai. More than I'm inclined to believe to be honest with you, but no one is saying anything. As usual" He sighed, his eyes betraying a hint of frustration that Meia realised wasn't necessarily tied to what he just said.

"Ok then. I'll think about it" She stated. Meia glanced once more at the setting sun before heading off inside to her cabin.

* * *

Sephiroth watched her as she crossed the deck and disappeared downstairs. What was stopping her from joining? He could tell there was a reason, but she wasn't willing to tell him. Was he that cold...? He leant on the railing and watched the wake as she had done. Sephiroth could sense a bond was beginning to form between them. He remembered the feeling from when he had met Genesis and Angeal. The feeling that caused him to look up and smile when they entered a room with him, rather than do his best to blend in the background. The feeling that let him say what was more or less on his mind, rather than saying as little as possible to avoid questions. He just hoped his personality wouldn't turn her away from him. He was reminded of the time they first met. Children...how they were free to be whoever or whatever they wanted to be, not having to worry about responsibility or what anyone thought of them. He envied the boy in his memories. Life was so much easier back then.

* * *

They arrived at port more or less when the Captain had planned. It was still dark when they carried their packs down the gangplank and headed for the heliport. The Shinra dock was a small one, simply consisting of the dock, a few cranes, a small HQ building and a heliport and hanger. Being assigned here must be a test of one's patience, Meia thought. A couple of employee's met them on the dock and directed them to the waiting helicopter.

They had been flying an hour or so now, Meia thought. She looked out the open bay doors at the sliver of red light appearing way off on the horizon line. The colours of the sky were changing now, from deep blue through to purple and pink. The storm clouds in the distance were painted crimson and gradually turning to gold, heralding the sunrise. Meia inhaled; aside from the exhaust fumes from the chopper the air was crisp and clean. Mountain air, how it cleared her head and refreshed her soul. It was the simple things...

Meia was jolted out of her revere by the chopper, which had lurched and righted itself again. She looked at Sephiroth, sitting opposite her behind the pilot, he had his eyes cast down, seemingly listening. He'd felt it too. Something wasn't right. She got up and as she did so, a loud ominous crack sounded, followed closely by a sound she knew all too well. Bullet hitting flesh. She dashed forward; the pilot had been hit square between the eyes. Meaning no one was flying,

"Wutai?" Meia asked Sephiroth, who was now crouching down next to the open door.

"Probably. Can you fly a helicopter?"

"Yes"

"Take over, try to land us. Were vulnerable in the air" He stated calmly. Meia acted fast, the chopped was starting to veer and bank with no one to steady it. She yanked the dead pilot out of the seat, mentally apologising to him, and jumped in, taking over. Gently but firmly she righted their course and began to look for a suitable place to land.

Sephiroth perched on the helicopters open edge, scanning the white expanse below them for signs of the enemy. A small patrol of two off-road vehicles was speeding towards them; Sephiroth summoned masamune to his left hand, the beautiful long blade manifesting obediently, waiting to be wielded in battle. Meia was beginning to set them down but ten meters off the ground, Sephiroth sprang out the open door and landed perfectly on the snow below. He stood to his full height, shoulders squarely back and head held high; a predator pose. And his prey was fast approaching.

Meia set the chopper on the ground as gently as she could for a rushed landing, turned the engine off and leapt out, handgun loaded and ready. She moved behind Sephiroth and turned her back; she knew full well he had the two vehicles making a bee line for them covered but when he leapt off at a dead sprint, she couldn't help but turn to watch him. He charged over the snow like it was perfectly smooth concrete, his powerful legs carrying him effortlessly. Then he vanished. Meia watched in awe as the vehicle at the front simply exploded moments later, sending debris and bodies flying high in the sky. She saw the second falter, trying to break but their efforts were futile and they met the same fate as the first vehicle. Sephiroth's speed and power was frightening. Dispatching them with one perfect swing each. Meia fathomed now just how lucky her jaw really was. The crack of a gunshot spun her round towards the sounds origin. More of the enemy? She scanned and listened and another crack followed by a puff of snow close to where she stood. They were hiding somewhere in the rocks behind the chopper, at the base of a cliff. She set off cautiously, gun cocked and ready to fire. Another crack; Meia raised her hand fast and the bullet bounced harmlessly off the barrier she erected to protect her, noting the direction of the impact. That's it, keep firing, she thought to herself. Let me find you...A flash in the rocks to her left; the suns reflection off a gun's barrel. She had him. Meia dashed towards the gunman's hiding spot. He panicked and fumbled his reload, only managing to fire off one poorly aimed shot before Meia was on him. She shot him in his trigger arm and he screamed in agony, dropping the rifle he was carrying. He reached for a long knife at his side but Meia shot that out of his hands as well,

"Try anything else and your life will be next" She commanded. The Wutai sniper raised his hands slowly; a mixture of pain and loathing painted across his face.

"What are you protecting" She stated calmly. The prisoner said nothing. Meia shot him in the kneecap. A bloodcurdling scream echoed and bounced off the cliff face as the sniper fell on his back, writhing in agony,

"Again, what are you protecting?" Meia cocked her gun and took aim at his remaining kneecap. The Wutai man babbled something in his native language and spat on the ground next to her shoes. She shot him again, shattering his other knee. He was irritating her now. He screamed so hard this time he retched and coughed,

"Ignorant Shinra bitch!!" He yelled, "Kill me, it makes no difference. You will fall to the Wushang! You will all suffer and die. My soul will return to the planet and I will make my brothers stronger!"

"I'll only give you one more chance. What were you sent out here to protect, answer me!" She shouted and placed a foot on one of the man's devastated knees and applied pressure. The noise he made was horrible but she didn't flinch. This was the ugly side of her job. This was why she worked so hard to contain her feelings, her emotions. She heard slow, controlled footsteps approach her from behind but she was downwind and caught a familiar scent. She knew she was in no danger so she pushed on the man's knee harder,

"Tell me..." She bent closer to her victim.

"He will...bring victory to our people. You will...never...ah! Never stop our beloved....ahahahahaa!!!" The man cackled uncontrollably, the pain seemed to have driven him to madness. She straightened up and shot him between the eyes. The mad expression sagged slightly as all life left his body. She kicked snow over his face; ugly, she thought and turned to leave, passing Sephiroth silently.

He watched her approach and pass him, but she didn't return his gaze. She was focused, her face stony and expressionless. She didn't enjoy what she did, he thought. She was human. He glanced at the lifeless body of the sniper, pools of blood framing his knees, arm and head, before turning and returning to the chopper, Meia having already re-started the engines to warm them up again.


	9. Chapter 9 Hypocrisy

**Chapter 9**

Hypocrisy

The remaining flight to Howl's Summit was uneventful. The winds approaching their destination picked up however but Meia skilfully flew the chopper in safely. The town itself was fairly large, as towns went. Mostly due to the mako reactor powering it. It was quiet though, Meia noticed people hurry to get inside at the sight of the helicopter approaching. Sephiroth had contacted the dock while they were still in the air and advised of the situation. Another pilot was being flown out to retrieve their helicopter, apparently the colder temperatures and harsher conditions weren't good for it if it sat sedentary for too long.

"We really are alone on this one, aren't we?" Meia remarked as they retrieved their stuff and set off on the short walk into the main township. Sephiroth simply gave her a look that said 'pretty much'.

* * *

Huddled behind a snowdrift, two figured camouflaged in white exchanged hushed words,

"The Shinra sent Him?"

"Yes, this is bad…"

"Hmmm…It will be fine. He may be powerful, but our Tiamat will prove his match. His colleague will most certainly die. Let the summit team know…."

"Yes sir! The Shinra will pay; we will destroy their greatest warrior. Then they will have nothing"

* * *

They had settled into the inn room that was waiting for them and were going over maps of the area and plans of the mako reactor. Meia was delighted and relived to find an espresso machine in their room and was currently on her second mug of coffee. She had offered to make one for her partner but he refused, and made himself some tea instead,

"It's far more refreshing than coffee" He simply stated haughtily. Meia shrugged; if she wanted refreshment she'd have water.

They sat side by side and studied the map of the surrounding mountains. The path to the reactor was quite a walk, the distance was roughly fifteen kilometres and the terrain wouldn't be a hike in the fields. Sephiroth pointed out a small outpost just over half way up the trail that was used by Shinra for reactor maintenance crews. Meia had to wonder why they hadn't sent any such crew with them,

"What happens if the reactor has been damaged by the enemy? Why haven't any engineer's been sent with us?" She asked after a mouthful of coffee.

"There is no need. Besides, it would be too dangerous for them" Sephiroth replied, in the process of taking an accurate reading of the distance.

"No need? I don't follow I'm afraid…" Meia gave him a puzzled look. He stopped what he was doing and peered at her a moment before replying,

"I've been with Shinra a long time Meia. I can assess and repair minor reactor damage myself. If there is substantial damage however, a team will need to be called in later"

"Impressive, you're not just a skilled grunt after all…" The words tumbled out of her mouth before she could stop them. She began to splutter an apology but his laughter cut her short. So she simply looked at him.

"It would seem not. Another drink?" He managed eventually, his small fit of chuckling over. Meia composed herself and willed the red flush on her face to disappear; _well that was embarrassing_, she thought to herself. She nodded a response to her companion,

"You're having tea this time" He said matter of factly. Meia didn't argue.

* * *

It was the early hours of the morning now…and Meia couldn't sleep. She wished the thought of having tea had come to her earlier. But it seems the two mugs of strong coffee drank like they were mere water, weren't going to let her get any peace for a while. Sighing, she swung her legs out of bed and put on a pair of slippers that were provided. It was freezing; the fire in the log burner had died down and wasn't enough to warm the room any longer. She wrapped a long towel robe around her and crossed the room quietly to stoke it again.

The moon was full, silver rays poured through the open curtains making it easy to see. She opened up the door and sifted around in the embers with a poker before squeezing a few logs in the metal chamber and sealing the door again. She shivered; the room wouldn't warm up any time soon so she grabbed one of the silken quilts from her bed and wrapped it about her shoulders.

She stood in front of the window that overlooked the town centre. The inn keeper had told them the townspeople were all on edge; that the Wutai troops had been hanging around for a while now. Several people had been attacked on the mountain path to the reactor and they were now too scared to leave the town's perimeter. The reason it had taken so long for the town to send word was due to supplies only being shipped in every month, plus the supply trucks were being attacked.

A soft ruffling of fabric met her ears; she turned to look over her left shoulder. The small shift in temperature had seemingly prompted the sub-conscious of Sephiroth to push a layer of bedding off himself. She watched as he turned and settled down again. _So_, she mused, _even the mighty Sephiroth needs sleep_.

She wouldn't have believed it unless she saw it with her own two eyes. She retired before him, hoping the drowsiness that hit her suddenly would be enough to carry her to sleep. Kindly, a long folding screen had been supplied with the room to give her some privacy. So she wrapped herself up in bed and tried in vain to hold on to that sleepy feeling. But instead, she found her mind wandering to the day's events; to the sniper she'd killed and the men in the two trucks.

No one was left alive; she'd been informed once they were in the air again. And all of the deceased were Wutai operatives. This brought a small comfort to her soul; she wondered if Sephiroth was sure before he eliminated them. She wanted to think so, at least.

Collateral damage was one of Meia's biggest fears. Back when she was a junior Turk, witnessing death had disturbed her greatly. Guilt and regret would always manifest and cause her to question her being in this position. Why did she want a job that would kill people? She thought she'd never come to terms with it; it wasn't something you got used too, she remembered Verdot state in a lecture he gave to her and her group when they attained the rank of Turk. It was something you learned to accept. After that, it gradually got easier to live with herself if she, or a colleague, took a life. She still couldn't help sparing a thought for the victims though, as rarely was the damage confined to just the unfortunate person who perished.

After her restless mind was settled again, Meia vaguely remembered dropping off into a light sleep for a while before coming round. The lights were off and the fire was burning down, and she was unable to get to sleep again.

She watched the sleeping SOLDIER for a few moments before turning to look out the window once more. She didn't want to be rude.

* * *

They set out for the reactor first thing in the morning; conditions weren't much better than the previous day and they agreed that becoming trapped on the mountain wasn't something they would desire. Several townsfolk came out to wish them luck while a fair few watched from windows and doorways.

The path started out fine but it wasn't long before it started getting tough. The wind was howling all around, driving an evil biting wind into their faces. The further up they went, the more visibility dropped until they were forced to slow right down to almost a crawl. Several times Meia simply couldn't see her footing and fell over, mercifully never hurting herself however. Sephiroth always remained in front, he appeared far more able to remain upright and this steadied her growing nerves.

Sometime later, he brought them to a stop, appearing to be checking the cliff face somewhere in front of them. Meia stayed put and waited. Sephiroth appeared a few moments later and pulled down the scarf covering the lower half of his face,

"The path is partially blocked. We're going to have to be very careful" He called above the wind. 'Were' he said. She knew full well that meant her. His SOLDIER enhancements meant his perception and reaction time was way above hers, she hadn't seen him slip once yet. She nodded in response.

Meia felt her way forwards; Sephiroth seemed to be keeping close to her now. Sure enough, a small way ahead, a rock slide had blocked the path. She peered over the edge to the trees growing on the slope below. If either one of them fell, it would be a disaster. She was quickly realising that without the SOLDIER with her, this mission would be far more deadly. Meia looked at the rocks and boulders in their way. The slide looked quite fresh, and quite unnatural. She couldn't see the cliff face above them clearly but initial signs suggested sabotage.

Carefully they began to traverse their way over the landslide. Meia, for the first time that day, actually thanked the raging torrent of snow and ice for blocking her view of the drop beneath her. Sephiroth stayed ahead once again, testing every foothold and handhold thoroughly before applying his full weight to them. Once or twice Meia had come across a wobbly rock but so far it had been fairly easy.

Then a sound broke through the howling wind; a bellowing roar from somewhere in the distance. They stopped and listened but it didn't come again. They hurried to cross what was left of the slide, Sephiroth setting foot on the trail first and waiting for her to follow. Meia was almost there; just needed to put her foot down and she could jump to the ground below her.

But the roar sounded again, much louder this time, and the earth shook slightly. Meia pressed her body close to the rocks she was desperately clinging too but some smaller ones from the cliff above her had been shook loose. They knocked and dislodged more as they fell around her, snowballing until a sizable slide was making its way down the cliff towards her position.

"Meia jump, quickly" She heard Sephiroth call above the wind. She had no choice. Quickly she glanced to her left, sighting the path, before letting go and leaping to safety. The rock slide crashed over where her body was not moments before, tumbling and smashing downwards into the trees below. Meia had slipped as she pushed away, the studs on her boots failing to catch on anything. She knew landing on her feet just wasn't going to happen and braced her body for a possible bone shattering crash into the floor.

Sephiroth saw her slip, so fast in fact he had moved underneath her before he saw her curl up and brace herself for an impact that wouldn't be coming.

Meia groaned as Sephiroth's arm caught her about the middle, knocking the wind out of her slightly but otherwise saving her from sliding across the ground on her face. The fall and the catch seemed to happen in slow motion and she sighed in relief as she was placed gently on her feet again. She turned and looked at the re-modelled rockslide; she wasn't looking forward to crossing it again.

They carried on at the same pace as before until Sephiroth reported he could see the technician's base somewhere ahead of them. As they got closer, they could tell it had been attacked and ransacked. Containers and vehicles lay wasted, stripped of parts and dismembered. A few buildings had been broken into by force, snow piling up inside through shattered windows and wasted walls. Only one building was still fairly intact, either by choice or for some other reason.

They were preparing to go on when the weather took a further turn for the worst. The wind began to blow even stronger, yanking and tugging on their clothes and the temperature seemed to start dropping. Fast. Meia pulled her scarf right up underneath her snow goggles. This wasn't natural, how could the weather turn so quickly? The winds had changed direction and appeared to be coming straight down the path now, from the direction of the reactor. And Meia swore she heard the roaring again, though now it was hard to distinguish from the bellow of the winds.

She wrapped her arms about her tight; she was beginning to worry. They couldn't survive this without shelter for very long. Or at least she couldn't. She made her way to the surviving cabin and grasped the circular door handle but it wouldn't budge, it was frozen solid. It was their best hope though so she tried again, finding a foothold and pulling with all her might. It began to move but she quickly realised that it was due to Sephiroth joining in, standing behind her, arms encircling her body and pulling on the wheel too.

It started turning effortlessly now and she ducked out to allow him to open the door on his own. He hauled on it once the lock was released to force its hinges into submission. They quickly climbed inside and sealed the portal shut again, the whistling of the wind abruptly silencing, leaving a constant low thrum to remind them they were still in danger.

Meia pulled her hood down and loosened the scarf protecting her face, lastly removing the goggles from her eyes and looking around. The cabins function seemed to be a main office. Filling cabinets lined the walls at one end accompanied by a desk. The opposite end was home to a large log burner. Closer inspection revealed that the cabinets and desk had been emptied of all documents, nothing was left. Meia concluded that the office was also ransacked, but kept intact so it still had some use. Although out of the relentless pummel of the winds, the temperature was still dropping, not as fast now but Meia was struggling to keep warm.

Sephiroth felt it too, but thanks to his altered biology he could suffer far worse before he eventually succumb. It was still unpleasant though, but he couldn't focus on that right now. He needed to get the burner going or Meia would be in trouble. He crouched down close to it; mercifully there was a fresh pile of logs ready to be used as fuel but it was so cold now starting a fire by usual means would be impossible. Luckily, he had a solution.

Meia stepped closer and watched Sephiroth place his hand over his right forearm and extract quite a large orb of dark green materia. He held it in the middle of the log burner, under a pile of wood he'd arranged within and closed his eyes. She watched as a glow started to manifest from his closed fist, gradually getting brighter and whiter until the whole pile of wood had erupted in flames, engulfing his arm up to the elbow.

SOLDIER's using materia like this always alarmed her, but quickly she realised a barrier was protecting his body; the flames licked and caressed his arm but no damage was done. After a few moments he withdrew his hand, leaving the materia to serve as a core, ensuring the fire wouldn't go out.

They sat, huddled around the iron furnace, Meia opting to sit closer. She was feeling less cold now which was reassuring. Sephiroth sat staring at the flames for quite a while, seemingly thinking about the sudden change in conditions. Meia looked up at him,

"What happened out there…that wasn't natural, was it?" She asked quietly. Sephiroth shook his head,

"No. I'm starting to think the roars we heard were somehow connected as well…"

"You think something is up there?"

He looked at her, registering the flicker of fear that crossed her face, and nodded. Meia looked away and swallowed. If something was causing this, it wouldn't be small. And it wouldn't be weak. She huddled down and tried not to think about it, fighting hard to keep her fear and anxiety contained, aware that Sephiroth hadn't taken his eyes off her yet.

"Is this why you don't want to join SOLDIER? The fear?" He asked gently. Despite his reputation, his imposing physique and his cool, steadfast personality, the way he spoke sometimes made her forget all of it. His voice betrayed great kindness and his eyes the same. She wondered if he was doing this intentionally or if it was simply natural. She waited a moment before replying. He had asked, after all…what was the harm in telling him?

"Partly yes" She began quietly "I'm afraid my fears will affect my ability to do my job. I'm afraid of letting people down. I let someone I cared for down once…I…" She stared at the fire, unable to finish the sentence.

Sephiroth thought about this for a moment. Nothing she had done so far had revealed the basis of these fears. Her training with him was good; she showed determination and a desire to succeed. She had acted competently when they were attacked in the helicopter and gave her all on the way up here. He did remember that she was good at containing her emotions, her fears. His were easy to contain because the confidence in his own abilities was such he never needed to fear. He couldn't think of a situation he would be out of his depth in. Therefore there was nothing to withhold.

"If you joined SOLDIER, your body would be enhanced. You would be able to do so much more, wouldn't that reassure you? He said after a while. She shook her head,

"I'm scared of the procedure. Mako infusion? Injected with god knows what, causing my body to mutate? Would I be myself anymore? Would I be human….?" She looked at him.

"Hmmm…knowing who you are…" He began but trailed off.

"I'm sorry"

"Why?"

"I'm sorry if I said something to offend you" Meia replied. Sephiroth laughed a little,

"You didn't. You made me think aloud, that is all. It's not something I do often. You need to stop apologising to me Meia" He finished, giving her a half smile.

"I'm sor…uh, I guess I just don't know how to be with you, that's all. You don't seem to suffer fools lightly, I already feel like I'm being babysat this mission…" She looked at him apologetically, "I don't want to be a distraction…I'm just trying to stay out of your way" She finished, flexing her toes to stimulate the circulation.

"Your right Meia, I don't tolerate fools. But, you're not a fool" He smiled again, "You remember our evening in sector eight? You owe me one don't you…" She nodded,

"Well I'm asking you for that favour now…" He saw her grimace slightly…

"Be yourself around me Meia. It's all I ask from my friends. Nothing more, nothing less"

She simply stared at him, stunned. _Friends huh?_ She smiled and looked away. _Friends…_

_

* * *

_

"_What happened to your necklace Meia?_

"_My…oh no, Granddaddy I'm sorry. I must have lost it!"_

"_Maybe you should ask the boy you were playing with yesterday"_

"_Yes, I should do. I will just as soon as your better Granddaddy"_

"_Mei Mei, my little angel…I will be joining your Grandmother very soon. You should look for it now. Don't fuss over me"_

"_But Granddaddy…"_

"_You look after your mother for me Meia. And always remember to have fun"_

"_I will Granddaddy. Granddaddy…? ….Granddaddy…."_

…

…

Meia felt her body being shaken gently, by the shoulder. The memory caused tears to well up inside of her. She squeezed her eyes shut, she wouldn't allow them out. Not now. The mist cleared from her mind and she sat up, Sephiroth standing at her side,

"You shouldn't drop off like that Meia" He stated before moving to the windows of the cabin.

"You're right, I'm sorry" She replied. Stretching her arms and legs, she looked around. The howling wind and snow had appeared to have calmed right down, leaving a gentle snowfall in its wake. She stood up and joined Sephiroth as he looked outside,

"I didn't sleep very well last night, but it won't happen again" She told him. Sephiroth crossed his arms,

"I know you didn't. I'm burning the coffee when we get back" And he went to test the door. Meia's mouth curled into a smile and she shook her head.

* * *

The temperature was back to normal outside and there was virtually no wind. Just soft, gentle snowflakes falling from the sky. They carried on up the path. Meia checked her watch. It was 09:48. They hadn't lost much time but she had no desire to be caught in one of those snowstorms again. Without shelter…well, she didn't want to think about it. They marched on until around noon, when the reactor became visible. Meia took a breather; it was a gargantuan mass of pipes and substructures. According to the report there was a substantial amount of mako deposited under these mountains and Shinra had plans to expand the settlement here once the reactors output was tested thoroughly. But the entrance didn't look right. It looked vandalised. So the reports were true; it seems the enemy was using the reactor for something. She didn't dare think what.

Sephiroth led them inside. The smell of mako was nearly overwhelming. Meia rubbed her nose; it almost felt like the membranes in her nostrils were being burnt, like the sting from chemical vapours. They walked along a suspended gangway, the reactor delved deep into the planet beneath them spanning several floors. The descended each one by one, having to use the emergency ladders as the only lift wasn't working.

The closer they got to the bottom layer, the more the size of the mako pool became apparent. It was huge. They were descending the last ladder when Sephiroth stopped and appeared to be looking at something on the opposite wall. Stopping just short of stepping on his head, Meia held on tight and looked also. In the wall of the reactor, a gigantic hole had been blown away, essentially opening the reactor's innards and the mako pool up into a subterranean cavern beyond the reactors walls. They descended to the bottom layer and looked around. A crude walkway had been constructed, allowing access to the hole in the wall. They proceeded with caution; this defiantly wasn't normal, as was the lack of enemy troops. They both found it odd that they'd met no resistance on the way here, especially as they were attacked in the helicopter.

The closer they got, the more Meia was certain she could hear a constant, low sighing sound. She placed her hand on Sephiroth's back to catch his attention and motioned him to be quiet. It was defiantly there, they could hear it clearly now. Carefully they inched forward until they could see into the cavern clearly.

What Meia saw startled and terrified her; a huge, long bodied dragon was curled up, its tail hanging in the mako pool that had spread into the cavern from the reactor. Suddenly, the shape in the photo's made sense. As did the missing Shinra scientist. The noise they could hear was the sound of its breathing, slow and steady. Carefully they backed away, onto the original walkway,

"What was that?" Meia hissed under her breath. Sephiroth shook his head,

"Looks like a dragon native to Wutai, I've seen their type before. But not like this…" He stared towards the hole, "This beast is far larger and mutated"

Meia sighed, "We have to kill it don't we…" Sephiroth nodded. She sighed; poor creature was probably ripped away from its home and subjected to all kinds of atrocities, made to suffer in the name of war. And now its life would be taken. Though that may be a blessing now.

Sephiroth's plan was simple; they'd carefully make their way back to the sleeping dragon and hopefully kill it before it woke. He wasn't concerned about his safety but he wanted to avoid as much damage to the reactor as possible. There was also Meia, who was a lot more fragile than he was.

Before they could move off however, Sephiroth heard footsteps above them; someone else had entered the reactor core. They ducked quickly into a side door in the outer wall and waited. The intruder descended all the way to the bottom and through the crack in the doorframe they could see it was the missing scientist. Looking relatively unharmed and certainly in no distress.

A traitor.

Before he got to them, Sephiroth calmly stepped out in front of the man, blocking his path. The scientist merely stared, fear clearly manifesting on his face,

"For a kidnapped man you certainly have a lot of freedom" Sephiroth stated calmly. Meia stepped out onto the walkway also, gun drawn and watching for any movement from the scientist.

"You may as well just kill me" The trapped man stuttered, "You may be terrifying Sephiroth but I'd be dead before I felt anything. I won't reveal anything so you may as well get it over with" He stated defiantly. Meia calmly extracted a silencer from a pocket in her pants and screwed it on the barrel of her handgun. Sephiroth watched her, before addressing him again,

"That may be, but this woman is a Turk. I'm trained to kill. She's trained to extract information…" He stated. The scientist took a few steps back before bolting. Meia aimed perfectly and shot him in the calf, the now silenced gun making nothing more than a soft quick hiss and a thud as the bullet found its mark. Still, she glanced over her shoulder, double checking the slumbering beast was still asleep. The man crashed to the ground, clutching his leg he started to wail but Sephiroth had closed the distance with lightning speed and held a gloved hand over his mouth to silence him,

"Talk now and your life will be spared. Why did you defect?" He said quietly but sternly. Meia moved next to them. The scientist shook his head. She took aim at her preferred pressure point and cocked her gun. She let him fully grasp the consequences of being shot in the knee before she nodded for Sephiroth continue,

"I ask you again; why did you defect?" the scientist began to speak so Sephiroth lifted his hand,

"Because Shinra are monsters!" He spat, "I've witnessed first-hand what their scientists…what I had to do! Experiments? Genetic modification? Not only to beasts but humans too. I couldn't do it; it was a crime against Gaia herself. Do you ever wonder why you're so strong Sephiroth? Why you're 'special'?"

The SOLDIER remained unmoved, not about to let a ranting scientist unsettle him,

"Well I wanted no part of it, so I defected to the Wushang and helped them create a powerful weapon…" Meia followed his gaze to the sleeping dragon,

"You hypocrite…" she hissed. The man glared at her intently, madness flickering in his eyes before screaming at the top of his lungs. Sephiroth clamped his hand down again but the damage was done. Meia spun around; the form of the dragon was visibly stirring, the sound waking it. Sephiroth looked at the scientist, fury burning in his eyes. An impact shook the reactor; the beast was thrashing its body about, spraying mako and rubble everywhere. It looked maddened. Meia pitied the poor creature. In the moment of distraction, the scientist tried to escape but was soon stopped by Meia with a clean shot in the head. The duo turned their attention to the larger problem.

It was quickly and mutually agreed that Sephiroth would kill it quickly before it could do any harm. It remained at the artificial mouth of the cavern, rearing and writhing in pain and madness. Meia gasped as she beheld the amount of materia embedded in its body; its skin was literally pulsating green. The air around it was freezing and the source of the abnormal weather conditions was now clear. This modified creature was the cause of it, the weapon the Wutai had been hiding.

It let out an almighty bellow; Meia clapped her hands to her ears, her head ringing, and watched as the beast dove into the mako pool. They stepped back from the edge of the walkway and watched for any movement, Sephiroth summoning his weapon and standing ready.

The reactor shook again with tremendous force, the beast seemingly ramming the walls deeper under the pool and they both stumbled. Before Meia could recover her footing, a gigantic claw swiped out of the pulsating green pool, catching her in the back and causing her to fall backwards. The incredible talons sliced and ripped through the walkway and guard rail like they were plastic. Another earth shaking ram and she couldn't right herself. She fell over the edge, but managed to cling to the ruined walkway to stop herself going under entirely.

Then the creature emerged but before it could do anything it was dead. Sephiroth sliced its head from its body cleanly with one swing, it's now lifeless corpse slid silently into the depths of the pool. Sephiroth quickly moved to help Meia who was still holding onto the walkway but her body below her arms was submerged in mako. She was rapidly being poisoned. She struggled to remain conscious as she held on. She knew she was in big trouble, but the strength was leaving her so fast she could do nothing but hope Sephiroth would lift her out in time.

Sephiroth reached her before she fell, grasping her under the arms and effortlessly lifting her free and to the safety of the walkway. He laid her down and tried to get a response but her conscience was fading; she was slipping away. He looked at his gloves; they were drenched in her blood from the wound on her back, providing an easy inlet for the mako to infest her body.

Working quickly, he placed her on her side and slid his hands through her ruined clothes to the gash beneath. Even through his gloves he could feel how deep the damage was and he concentrated, using the restorative materia he had to help close the wound. He knew he couldn't heal it completely due to the mako, but he could stem most of the bleeding and prevent any more poison from entering her body.

When this was done he gently rolled her on her back and placed his hands on her chest over her heart. He shut his eyes and willed the restoring power of his materia to sustain her life. At least enough to stabilise her so she could be carried back to town, where she could be airlifted to a hospital. He had to fight back the feeling of regret and anger he felt building up inside him. Why wasn't he fast enough? Why didn't he save her from falling? He had to supress them; the materia wouldn't work unless he concentrated. He prayed this would be enough. It had to be…


	10. Chapter 10 Storm clouds

Uwaaaa! been a while since the last update. sorry about that ^^; I'm several chapters ahead, but been taking my time researching and making sure Meia doesn't turn to 'mary' lol . also been checking and double checking Sephiroth's character, keeping him in check like a good boy *evil grin* -cough- anyway! Thank you for reading. reveiws would be nice (as usual) and thank you to my reveiwers so far, esp. chibipinkbunny who was kind enough to leave me some in depth feedback =)

And I know i blatantly borrowed a certain blood related idea from Crisis Core, but it intrigued me so much i wanted to work it into the plot somehow. :)

*****

***

**Chapter 10**

Storm clouds

"_Why didn't you let me know sooner?!"_

"_Mom I….I didn't know, I swear!"_

"_Something could have been done! We could have got him to a doctor!"_

"_I'm sorry Mom…please believe me…I'm sorry…"_

"_Get out of my sight!!"_

…_.._

…

_Darkness. Am I dead? Is this the lifestream? What happened to me…I hardly remember who I am any more. I feel cold. I feel…alone…am I dead…?_

Meia had been in a coma now for three days. She was stable but very weak. The gash on her back wasn't closing properly; mako was stopping the body's normal healing function. Each time the nurses changed her dressings, the bed sheets had to be changed as well. Discoloured patches of dried, putrid blood stained them. She showed no signs of regaining consciousness; the doctors said she was poisoned so badly she may never come round.

Sephiroth sat outside her room in the corridor, simply staring at the door to her room. He couldn't bring himself to sit inside with her. But he didn't know why. Her wounds wouldn't bother him. He's seen people clinging to life before. He'd seen so many terrible things he was certain that wasn't the reason. He came to her every day.

Sitting.

Waiting.

He would ask the doctors flitting in and out of the room; ask them if she was getting better. Only solemn head shakes were offered as answers. He held his head in his hands, it was the third day now and still he couldn't go in to see her. His phone rang; it was Angeal,

"How is she?"

"Not good…"

"Have you seen her yet?"

"……no…."

"Damn it Sephiroth, get in there and see her. You may never….." Angeal paused, "Just suck it up and do it ok?"

"Do what? What could I possibly do to help her?" Sephiroth was getting angry now; but again he asked himself….why?

"Listen Seth…you may not understand what you feel now, but she needs someone. I asked the Turks; she has no family. No one to stay with her. Put aside your feelings and think of Her. She needs you…"

My feelings, Sephiroth thought. He hung up and turned the phone off. He didn't want to be disturbed again. He stood up and walked to the door.

My feelings…..

He placed his hand on the metal handle and pushed down gently. The door clicked open and he moved inside carefully. Inside was Meia, hooked up to a plethora of machines and lines. An IV bag shared a stand with a blood bag that was halfway depleted. The heart monitor showed a weak flicker of life. He stepped closer; he was used to seeing things like this but for some reason, he was disturbed. The incident flashed through his mind and he had to look away. An unfamiliar feeling was swimming in the pit of his stomach, was he going to be sick? Feint? He looked back at her face; she had deep dark hollows under her eyes. Her usual glowing complexion was waxy and sallow, her lips so white they were verging on grey. He moved to her side. A few bunches of flowers sat on a table, along with some get well cards. She couldn't breathe very well on her own; a large tube was inserted down her throat to supply vital oxygen to her mako infested lungs. For the first time in his life, Sephiroth felt helpless.

He looked round as the door clicked open again and his face contorted into that of loathing. Hojo. What did he want?

"Hello boy" He sneered as he was joined by a team of doctors. Sephiroth simply glared at him.

It was no secret that Sephiroth barely tolerated Hojo and only the President's order kept the evil man alive. The fact he was here visiting Meia alarmed him. The door opened again and admitted the overweight form of Professor Hollander, wearing his usual apple T-shirt and unkempt ragged beard. The team ignored Sephiroth and examined Meia's broken body, taking readings from various instruments and muttering among themselves,

"Her body…starting to reject the blood…." He heard one say,

"She's already halfway there…." Said another. Sephiroth backed off as they moved around her, blocking her from his sight. What did they mean?

After a while the team backed off into a huddle, leaving the leering form of Hojo alone to examine her. Finally, he nodded to the team,

"Proceed. Her data suggests she could prove…interesting" Sephiroth looked up,

"Proceed with what?" He asked, taking a step forward. Hojo pushed his glasses up and looked at the tall SOLDIER,

"Were going to give her the SOLDIER treatment. It's the only way she can survive now" His replied, his lips contorted into a sadistic smile. Sephiroth wanted to cut it from his face.

"Her body is already infested with mako; the…"He paused, " treatment…will give her body the strength to fight back. Of course, it may well kill her" And the monster actually laughed. Sephiroth growled and clenched his fists, causing the other occupants of the room to back off into the opposite wall,

"Now now Boy…do you want to injure her further?" Hojo mocked, examining a few more instruments and not bothering to maintain eye contact with Sephiroth anymore.

"She needs more blood as well" Hollander piped up, "The bank is short as it is. If the treatment takes, she'll start retaining it again but she's in desperate need now"

"Take mine…" Sephiroth stated before he even paused to think. Hollander held his hand up to object, but Hojo cut him off,

"No….let the boy donate…"

"But Hojo, his blood is…it won't"

"It will be fine. Hook him up" Hojo insisted, dismissing all but two doctors. Sephiroth looked at Hollander; he wanted to know what the man meant when he tried to stop him. The larger scientist averted his gaze, not willing to face the intimidating SOLDIER. He didn't understand any of it; what were these two up too? He hurried and removed his pauldrons and sat down beside Meia's bed, where one of the remaining doctors had wheeled in a direct transfusion machine,

"You want a shirt? You might be sitting here a while" The doctor asked him. He simply nodded. The two doctors exited the room again and came back a few minutes later. One had a blue cotton shirt which Sephiroth quickly pulled on, his coat removed; the other wheeled a trolley with a large variety of instruments and solutions adorning it. As his arm was tied up with a tourniquet and a needle inserted into a vein in his elbow, he watched Hojo prepare a large syringe full of various solutions, flicking it to remove the air bubbles and squeezing out the pocket of air at the top. He looked away before the mad scientist jabbed Meia's arm with the gigantic needle, preferring not to watch. It conjured up memories he'd rather not recall. The doctor had finished setting Sephiroth up with the transfusion machine and he watched as his own deep red blood began to inch its way towards the main bulk of the device, where it would be cleaned, filtered and passed on to Meia via another IV.

Hojo had finished injecting her with the solution in his syringe, seemingly satisfied with her reaction. He turned to leave but paused and addressed Sephiroth,

"As you're going to sit in here with the girl, you can monitor her. If anything abnormal happens, call someone"

"I'm not your lab hand you-"

"If you want to watch her suffer then go ahead. Don't call anyone" Hojo stated, cutting him off. Then he left, Hollander scurrying after him. Sephiroth wanted to tear the man's throat out, his fury obviously showing on his face because the doctors were nervous. He sighed and closed his eyes, willing the emotion to calm down and leave him. Finally, they summoned the courage to ask him if he felt ok and tell him if he needed anything, he just needed to call. Then they left too, gently clicking the door shut.

"_Why does mom hate me?"_

"_She doesn't hate you…she's just angry"_

"_Because Granddaddy died?"_

"_Yes"_

"_But she should be sad, not angry"_

"…_I know Meia"_

_*  
_

_I'm still here. In this nothingness. Who am I? Meia…is that me? What did I do to make my mother hate me? I can't remember…_

…

_.._

_What is this…? I feel strange. I feel…something inside of me, it's not me…it's something else. It feels wrong…it feels…._

_Alien_

_Ah, it hurts! Its violating me, Help…someone help! Help me please! No, I don't know you. Stop saying my name I don't know you! Get out…get out!!_

Sephiroth watched as Meia's body twitched slightly, her face flickering with signs of pain and discomfort. He knew the treatment was causing it, he'd seen it before. He sighed; he knew she wouldn't be happy when she woke up. But at least she would be alive. That was why he didn't try to stop the scientists. Would she hate him? He hoped not. Sephiroth was still struggling with his emotions; they were harder to hold back in the last few days. Plus a flood of unfamiliar feelings had surfaced also. He felt so confused. Angeal told him that he was feeling regret and anger for not acting faster. He said it was normal to feel like this. It didn't feel normal. Why is it so uncomfortable? Why does it hurt…Angeal simply said that was up to him to work out.

_I'm trapped. It won't leave me alone. I can't run anymore, I just can't. I can feel it taking over. Changing things. There's something else here too. Something similar but not the same. It doesn't hurt, doesn't call my name, and doesn't try to change me. It feels warm and comforting. It's keeping me safe. Keeping me alive._

The doctors visited again in the evening. Apparently Meia was showing significant improvement. Her heartbeat was stronger and steady and they even removed the respirator as she was strong enough to breathe on her own now. Sephiroth agreed to stay through the night; she still needed blood albeit not as much. And she needed someone to stay with her.

After the final doctor left, he watched her face. It was at peace again now. Some of the colour had returned and she was looking a lot better. Normally he'd look away now, but he wanted to keep watching her. What was the harm?

It was in the early hours of the morning when Meia regained consciousness. She opened her eyes slowly; they felt bruised and puffy but at least they opened. She lay there a while, letting her body catch up with her mind, taking in her surroundings. It was dark, but the glow from various devices and machines illuminated the room, giving it an eerie atmosphere. She turned her head and watched the heart monitor blip along to her body's rhythm. She tried to re-call what happened to her but the memories were foggy, distant. She gave up before she got a headache; there was plenty of time for remembering later. She wiggled her toes and fingers; all working. She was aware of a dull ache in her right arm and she looked at the IV inserted in her hand, noticing the line for fluids and the line for blood. Had she almost bled to death? She then became aware of a growing pain in her back and the memory of the dragon came back. Ah yes, that was quite a nasty gash. But she had survived somehow, and had been put back together in a hospital bed. She looked over to her right again. The eerie glow was illuminating something there, not a machine or a piece of furniture, something soft and organic. She blinked several times. It was a person. The gentle rise and fall of its chest suggested the figure was asleep. She noticed a blood line coming from the figures arm. A donor? They'd got a blood donor to sit with her? Meia cleared her throat gently, noticing it felt raw and unused. She called out softly, trying to wake the person, and their eyes opened. She knew because in the dark…they glowed. A soft, green glow illuminated their irises as the person's head turned to look at her…

"I know you…" She croaked quietly.

Sephiroth sat up and stretched his legs out. He'd drifted off again, but the sight of Meia awake pleased him. The funny feeling in his stomach was back, but it was different. More confusion, he thought. He looked at her; she had the tell-tale mark now. Her eyes were like icy disks, glowing gently in the dark of the room.

"How do you feel?" Was all he could think to say. Meia smiled,

"Never felt better," she said sarcastically, "How long have I been here?"

"Four days now. You've been in a coma"

"I have? What happened to me?"

"You received severe mako poisoning…but you're fine now"

"Mako poisoning? I should be dead…shouldn't I?" She peered at Sephiroth who couldn't return her gaze. How could he tell her that he didn't stop them? After she confided in him?

"Sephiroth…?"

"I'm sorry Meia. The only way they could save you was…to administer the SOLIDER treatment" He hung his head slightly, silver curtains hiding his face from her. Meia said nothing. She couldn't believe it, how could he let them do that to her?

"There must have been another way…?"

Sephiroth shook his head, "There wasn't"

She lay in silence for a good few minutes, trying to digest this bombshell. Part of her wanted to scream and shout at him; part of her knew there probably was no other way. He only did what he had too, right? If there was another way he would have told them to use it…

"So now…I'm a SOLDIER…?

"That's right. Third class rank 7…"

"I have to call you Sir now…and salute you…" She stopped, her voice was cracking, "why did you let them do this, why…" She asked feebly.

"To save your life" Sephiroth replied simply, still hiding behind the curtain of silver. Why was everything she said cutting into him like a knife?

"I'm going to try and get some sleep. Goodnight Sir"

Sir. Never before had such a small word caused him so much anguish.

*****

Meia was discharged from hospital a few days later. Sephiroth was gone before she awoke the morning after she came out of her coma and she hadn't heard from him since. Her Turk uniforms had already been collected from her room, replaced with the generic light blue uniform of SOLDIER. She was to attend an initiation first thing in the morning so she retired to bed early.

Quite a few Third classes stood with her, lined up in three neat rows awaiting the arrival of whoever was addressing them. The helmet she was wearing felt stuffy and uncomfortable. I'll get used to it, she thought. She had no choice. Her feelings by now had died into a grey void inside of her. She felt neither anger nor sadness; happiness nor despair. She simply felt nothing. Like the life had been sucked out of her. She was a rookie again. A newbie who had to be shown the ropes. She missed the Turks already.

A figure approached and the SOLDIERS snapped to attention; it was Angeal. As he lectured them on the trials they would be facing, she thought about Sephiroth again. She wanted to see him, but she felt something was different. Maybe he felt guilty. Maybe he thought she was mad at him. But did Sephiroth feel anything, she asked herself. She thought a friendship was forming but now…it just felt like before; harsh and cold. She felt like crying; the fear was creeping up again. The regret. And the pain at realising she may have lost a new friend already,

"……………and above all else; protect your SOLDIER honor"

SIR! They all cried in unison.

As they all broke ranks and dispersed, Meia began to cry. She should be happy. She would get to train with SOLDIER again. But she was so sad; her body felt different, she felt lost and alone,

"Hey…arrre you ok?" A chirpy sounding SOLDIER asked her, stooping down so he could see under her helmet. She quickly sniffed up her tears and wiped the wetness from her cheeks,

"I'm fine, just…moving speech huh?" She lied,

"Aha! You bet! Why dontcha take that bucket off your head and show me what you look like?" The tall boy chimed, winking a blue eye at her. Meia removed the helmet and ruffled her hair.

"Woooowee, you sure you used the right application form? This is the dirty, sweaty, hardworking job. Not the job for pretty ladies like you"

Meia smiled, "I'm sure"

"The names Zach! Zach Fair, pleased to meet you"

*******

Stay tuned for some mild Sephiroth angst and friendly man fluff in the next chapter! no not like that you dirty people *shakes head*


	11. Chapter 11 Noodles

**Chapter 11**

Sephiroth sat alone in his apartment. He hadn't left it for several days, ever since the doctors dismissed him from Meia's room early in the morning. He was so confused he couldn't even bring himself to do his usual time filler; research.

_Several mornings ago…_

"There you go sir. Normally I'd recommend you take it easy as you may be slightly anaemic but…as it's you..." The short man trailed off.

"Thank you Doctor. I'd like a moment with the patient please"

The short man obliged, tucking his clipboard under his arm and leaving. Sephiroth locked the door after him and turned to face Meia again. Her words, for some reason he couldn't fathom, hurt him last night. He'd sat awake in the dark for a long time trying to figure it out but to no avail.

Emotions had always been troublesome for him. Emotion wasn't needed in combat. You weren't required to care in SOLDIER. Still, he was able to separate his emotions from his rational side. He wasn't devoid of feeling; he just knew that sometimes you had to switch off. But when emotion WAS needed, sometimes they confused him. He did what he thought was right. He had allowed them to save her life, but she wasn't happy. He knew she was afraid of the procedure, but he couldn't let her die.

Especially when he could have done more to protect her.

He stood beside her now, watching her sleep. If he didn't feel so down he would have been amused that she needed yet more rest, after being in a coma for four days. Instead he felt lost. Why did he care so much what she thought of him? Why did he feel ill when he saw her in the state she was in? He acknowledged he was beginning to feel the same for her as he did for Angeal or Genesis. Except it was different. He had a suspicion why…but that was the most confusing thing of all.

He sighed and stepped closer, right to the side of the bed. Her colour was a lot better now, her breathing steady and deep. Part of him knew he should leave before she woke. The other part kept him there, watching her, until she began to stir. Silently he left the room before she woke fully, whispering a quite apology as he left.

****

He pushed himself further into the cream leather of his sofa and sunk down. He was thankful that he did insist on keeping his privacy. Used noodle boxes were steadily stacking up on his coffee table, along with bottles of iced tea and the odd chocolate bar wrapper. SOLDIERS had enormous appetites; their modified bodies requiring far more fuel than normal members of the public. Sephiroth's supplies were running out and his stomach growled at him. He rolled his eyes and sat up again. He didn't often let himself go like this but the thinking had got the better of him. He knew full well though he'd have to eat non-stop all week before he put on a pound so he didn't worry about it. He was hungry though. Sephiroth picked up his discarded mobile and clicked through the contact list, pausing when he got to 'Meia'…

_Soldier training room 49__th__ floor_

"Wow…I knew Shinra had money but I had no idea they could do stuff like this!" Zack Fair proclaimed, flitting through the program list for the training room. It was after hours now; most of the recruits had retired to their rooms after an exhausting first day. Only Meia had stayed with Zack. It was a good chance to hang around in case…well, in case she bumped into anyone.

"Oh wow! Twin dragon falls? No way!"

Meia looked up as Zack punched a few buttons on the control panel. A robotic voice confirmed the program had been successfully loaded and the training room was ready. The lively country boy grabbed her wrist and dragged her after him into the room. Twin dragon falls was a natural wonder on the Wutai continent, though Meia had never been there. Neither had Zack, it would seem. He bounded off in front of her as she took in the view. An enormous natural basin had formed over thousands of years by two huge rivers surging over soft rock. They met as they dropped hundreds of feet into the splash pool below, gouging out an impressive lake that eventually ran off into one river again. They stood on one of the banks, spray washing over them as they watched holographic flocks of birds fly by.

"Ah, this is awesome…I've heard of this place but thanks to Shinra I can actually visit!" Zack had come back, seemingly to retrieve her,

"What do you think Meia? You like it?" He asked, flicking his hair away from his eyes. Meia smiled and nodded. Zack was hopelessly enthusiastic about everything, from his new uniform to mundane things like getting into the elevator was all exciting to him. She figured he was in some sort of overload at the moment. He didn't seem to mind how quiet she was, taking a smile and a nod as a satisfactory answer, and he stood at the edge of the lake now watching everything he could.

Normally she would be talking more, but she was still trying to process the events of the last week. She'd began the week as a Turk and now was ending it as a SOLDIER. Her body still felt strange and she struggled to get used to it. Simple things like pushing buttons or picking things up needed more thought; she was stronger now and if she wasn't careful, she'd break everything. Figuring this was normal she tried to think nothing of it. But during another endurance test today, she'd out run all of the other Third classes easily. She hoped this was simply due to the fact she was already as fit as she could be but something niggled away at her. And then there was the voice. A quiet, barely audible voice that called to her sometimes. She first heard it when she was waking up in hospital. She assumed it was the medication but she swore she heard it again since then. It gave her the creeps. _I'll just have to get used to it. I have no choice_ she thought.

Meia felt her leg twitching, but as she put her hand down to feel she realised it was her phone. She couldn't hear it over the falls. She waved her hand at Zack to stop the program as she picked up,

"Hello..?" She called, probably louder than she needed. She watched Zack fiddle with his own phone, trying to figure out how to stop the program remotely. She couldn't hear anything over the falls,

"I'm sorry but…Zack! Hurry up I can't hear a thing!" She yelled, plugging her left ear with her finger to try and make out the caller. The line was silent so she checked to see if they'd given up. The display told her the caller had hung up. Sighing with frustration she clicked through the recent callers list to find out who it was…

Sephiroth tossed his phone aside in frustration. Never before had he remembered being so cowardly. He couldn't face her and he didn't know why. It was driving him mad. He stood up and walked to the glass separating him from a high-rise fall. He watched his reflection as he raked a hand through his hair, dragging it back from his face and holding it up. He felt drained, not physically but mentally. He simply didn't know what to make of his feelings. Sephiroth needed help. He retrieved his phone and dialled the only person he could count on to take him seriously.

_20 minutes later_

"Thank you Angeal, come in"

The older man stepped through the door and removed his shoes. Sephiroth spotted the paper bag tucked under his arm and noted the delicious aroma now filling his entranceway. Relieving him of the package, he disappeared with it to the kitchen area as Angeal removed his coat and scarf, hanging them on a peg and going to join his friend.

"You really weren't kidding were you? Have you even been to the canteen in the last few days?" Angeal watched his friend stuff a good heap of noodles in his mouth. He laughed and shook his head; the ever graceful, ever composed Sephiroth was no match for his stomach. But he didn't blame him and sat down at the breakfast bar opposite him to join in before it was all devoured. Angeal had taken the liberty of buying a full spread, knowing exactly what his and Sephiroth's appetites were like. He unpacked the rest of the food, laying it out fast before the doomed box of noodles met its grizzly end.

"You shouldn't do this to yourself you know, you'll upset your metabolism and before you know it, you'll be turning to evil things like coffee and chocolate" Angeal glanced at the glass coffee table across the room,

"I see you're already halfway there…"

Sephiroth forced his current mouthful down his throat, "I know, I just haven't been able to think straight in the past few days"

"Gaia help us if something really serious happens to you. If you forget the basics like eating, who knows what else you'll be capable of" Angeal stuffed a spring roll in his mouth and wagged his chopsticks at Sephiroth. The younger man shrugged and fought back a lock of hair that was irritating him. Angeal sighed and slid off his stool. He hunted in the usual spots for a hair tie until he found one and moved behind his friend,

"What would the public and your adoring fans think if they could see you like this" He chuckled softly as he gently gathered Sephiroth's silver hair into a bunch at the back of his head, carefully sweeping back the curtains hanging beside his face.

"Hmpf…they'd think I was human, just like them…" Sephiroth replied bluntly. Angeal carefully worked the thick mass of silver silk through the hairband several times, before tightening it and letting it fall back into place,

"But you are human Seth. That's what's bothering you, isn't it? If you surrendered to your feelings…you'd been stepping off your pedestal…" Angeal placed his hands on Sephiroth's shoulders and squeezed slightly. The young SOLDIER paused, a battered chicken ball halfway to his mouth. Angeal had a point. Admitting how he felt towards Meia would mean he's have to show her who he was. Who he really was. He'd spent so long perfecting his public image; the thought of shattering that barrier frankly scared him a little. And it didn't help that he still couldn't figure out exactly how he DID feel. Angeal deftly plucked Sephiroth's intended titbit out of the chopsticks and moved back to his stool. Sephiroth gave him one of his looks,

"Hey, you weren't eating it. I need some too you know" And he plunged the ball into a tub of bright, almost pink, sweet and sour sauce. Sephiroth watched it longingly before grabbing another one and consuming it before there was any chance of it being stolen. They worked their way through more of their 'gourmet' dinner before Angeal spoke again,

"So. Am I just a free meal or was there something else you needed to talk about?"

Sephiroth was in the process of licking lemon sauce off his fingers, he'd given up on the fiddly chopsticks. He paused a moment, the tip of his middle finger still lingering between his teeth,

"Hmmm…"

"Don't give me that. It's her, isn't it?"

Sephiroth nodded. Angeal shook his head, "Well it seems you've already grasped the concept women are completely different from men…"

Sephiroth nodded firmly, 'Mm-hming' through a full mouth.

"Well Seth, I'm sorry to say this but I'm still not going to help"

"Angeal…" Sephiroth said, half pleading with him,

"No. Listen; yes you're confused but don't you think everyone goes through this at some point in their life? You have to figure this out. You're intelligent, I have faith in you. I will say this though; don't be afraid to show her this side of you. You've done it for us…"

"That's different. I met you two when I was younger…plus your men…"

"And..? only she needs to see it now, right? What are you worried about? Meia doesn't strike me as a shallow woman who plays games; if you relax…she will relax…"

Sephiroth watched him, "Angeal…have you been reading ladies magazines again?"

"Where do you think I get all my cooking tips from? You should try it. They are actually quite interesting. You might find something for your hair…" His friend said, dead seriously. Sephiroth cracked a smile before laughing, covering his mouth with his hand,

"Ah. If I could carve your face off and stitch it to mine I would" Angeal muttered, laughing himself now. Sephiroth simply gave Angeal his 'oh shut up' face, before getting to work on the rest of the food.

_Later that night…_

Meia jolted awake at the sound of her phone rattling away on her bedside table, eventually tumbling off the edge into a pile of clothing discarded on the floor. It had stopped by the time she'd fished it out, blinking the fuzziness out of her eyes so she could actually check it. It wasn't a call, just a message. She assumed from Zack but when she flipped it open, she smiled,

_To: Meia_

_I hope your first day went well._

_If you need anything, just let _

_Us know. I'll see you soon._

_S_


	12. Chapter 12 Singing Death

Chapter 12 finally done, and its a long one! Would have been polished earlier if not for me getting distracted by FFX and...Seymour 3 mmm yum yum. But eventually I was pulled back to this thanks to my bf playing the Gen & Ang vs Sephiroth fight over an over. Thanks again to all who have read up to this point ^^

All orginal FF7 characters, places and other doo-dads do not belong to me, they belong to Squaresoft. All i own is Meia & my twisted sence of imagination.

**Chapter 12**

It had been a month since that night. Sephiroth had resolved to taking one day at a time. And although Meia hadn't officially came to him to talk or sent him any messages, he took her smiles when they did pass each other as encouragement. He noticed however, it was getting harder to maintain his usual response of a simple nod. He'd already broken into a smile or two the last few times it had happened.

Genesis had noticed a change too. Sadly, he wasn't as gentle as Angeal…

"So. Our little Sephiroth is in love?" He randomly blurted on a mission once. Sephiroth was initially shocked; was he? He didn't know what to make of it. It was true his feelings for Meia were different from the feelings he had for his two friends. But was it love? Maybe they were different simply because she was a woman…Anyway, he was certain none of the infantry that were with them heard what Genesis had said, so Sephiroth calmly warned his mouthy friend to keep the matter quiet or there would be consequences.

Still, no matter how he looked at it, Sephiroth had to admit; he had a soft spot for her. And he was secretly delighted several weeks afterwards when a new assignment came their way.

_Briefing room 49__th__ floor_

"Good morning gentlemen," Lazard began with his usual greeting and smile, "As you are well aware, the war with Wutai has calmed somewhat lately thanks to the continued efforts of certain individuals…" Most of the eyes in the room looked at Sephiroth. Lazard continued,

"So we are taking this opportunity to assess our new third's for rank evaluations"

Some of the assembled first classes groaned. Rank evaluations usually meant babysitting the thirds in the field and taking notes for Lazard to look over.

"Now now, evaluation is necessary. You all know that. I am assigning three recruits to each of you to take out on your next missions. Half of them have had their in house evaluations," Lazard clicked a few buttons and all the Third's appeared on the large projector screen at the end of the V shaped table, "So they are ready to leave. The other half are still on-going and will need a day or so"

Lazard started handing out the groupings so Sephiroth looked at the screen. He assumed the ones with green borders were ready to go and the reds weren't. He looked for Meia and found her face, framed in red,

"…And Angeal, you will take Lee Farmer, Kain Ang and Zack Fair" Lazard finished. Three firsts, including Angeal, nodded and began scrutinising their mission briefs on the screens in front of them.

"The rest of you will get your assignments shortly, a group of six are currently being tested in the training room now" Lazard stood up and exited the room. Sephiroth and Genesis left Angeal to his work and made their way to the training room, wanting to see how the rookies were coping with their assessments. Upon entering, a few scientists, trainers and second classes were watching from the control section. The scientists were no doubt keeping an eye on their respective bosses subjects. The trainers and seconds stood to attention as the first class pair entered the room. Genesis waved to them to stand at ease as he and Sephiroth stood at the glass to watch.

The thirds were being put through a standard all round test that assessed their stamina and reflexes. The holographic room emitted a simple black façade with a luminescent grid adorning the walls. The test subjects stood in the middle, armed only with a simple stave. The concept was simple; they would be pitted against ghosts of various ranking members, asked only to defend against attacks, until one beat them. The difficulty got progressively harder of course and 'beaten' was reached after a fatal blow had been registered. The thirds wore headsets to make the program interface with them smoothly and accurately, though people on the outside could still see the ghost.

At the moment a small, timid looking SOLDIER wasn't doing very well against a Third class rank 1 ghost. The holographic display flickering behind him showed he had sustained crippling leg damage and the headset was currently telling his brain that his leg was in agony. Accordingly, the small teen couldn't place any weight on is left leg and eventually was cracked over the head, taking a 'fatal' blow. Of course the program stops before the killing takes place to avoid any unnecessary trauma. The third staggered to his feet, gingerly placing weight on his 'injured' leg, but was relieved to find it pain free. He re-joined his squad members, shaking his head and being consoled with pats on the back.

The trainer looked at the pad in his hand and requested the next combatant to step forwards. The marked difference in grace as well as softer body curves gave away who it was. They took their position in the centre of the room and the display flickered to life behind them, the words 'LeSait' confirming the SOLDIER's identity. Sephiroth felt a gentle dig in the ribs from Genesis but he ignored him. He noticed that behind them, the scientists seemed to have taken a marked interest in her and they moved forwards to better observe.

They watched as Meia sailed through the ranks of SOLDIER third class, managing ranks 7 to 1 without breaking a sweat. Next up was an infantry Captain in their distinct red uniforms. Again, it was defended against with ease. Next was a wave of infantrymen that all rushed her at once. They watched her gracefully guard and dodge most of their attacks, only suffering a glancing blow to her back which registered as a dull stinging pain. Everyone was interested now; even the cocky thirds still in the training room had stopped jeering or messing about to watch,

"She's been the best so far. There's just something about her…" The trainer addressed the room, talking to no one in particular. Now she was defending against a Second class, and although she had to exert noticeably more effort, she was still doing well for someone of her class. The ghost ended, new wounds were registering but again, they were minor and could be ignored. Genesis shook his head as the ghost of the newest member to be promoted to First Class was loaded. He was a big man, built like an Ox but because of his modified body, could move like a panther. Seemingly Meia knew that getting hit by this guy would tire her fast, so she was evading all she could, parrying anything that she couldn't dodge. After a while, the trainer stopped the ghost,

"Honestly, she's already testing at Second class standard. There's little point carrying on…she passed along time ago" His statement was met with murmurs of agreement, but one of the scientists was receiving a phone call. He nodded to himself and hung up,

"We have just received a request. Pit her against the top ranking ghost"

The group couldn't believe what they were hearing. Some of the Seconds protested but were silenced by the trainer,

"She may be doing well but the top ghost would annihilate her…what's the point of all this?"

"Hojo has requested it personally and he suggests you do as he says…" the scientists replied, not backing down. The trainer couldn't argue. He knew if he didn't his job may well be in danger. Genesis whispered to Sephiroth,

"What do you think the old creep is up too?" But he didn't reply. Sephiroth was currently wearing a mask of fury. His previous feeling of elation replaced with confusion and anger. He looked at Meia's display. She had semi-serious wounds to her legs and back and her heart rate and breathing was up. She was tired.

"LeSait, keep your headset on. I'm sorry about this…" The trainer informed her. She dropped her stance slightly, seemingly confused. She quickly re-composed however when a new program began loading. The spectators watched helplessly as her heart rate increased sharply, reacting to the sight in front of her. The holographic form of Sephiroth stepped slowly to its mark, standing ready, masamune already dangerously close to her. She backed off. The display showed she was verging on panic; and what happened next only made things worse,

"LeSait, listen carefully. Defend well…the safety protocols have been removed for this particular assessment" The scientist stated calmly. Inside the room, panic broke out. The other thirds had no desire to be locked in a room with an un-bridled hologram of Shinra's best on the loose and they scrambled to get out, piling through the door in a stampeding mass. The control room was now quite full and they heard Meia asking the trainer to stop, her plea's becoming more desperate.

Without warning the hologram made a move; Meia barely avoided it. The spectators watched in horror as she dodged and wove her way around the attacks thrown at her, the hologram gradually becoming more aggressive as it failed to hit its mark. By now she was terrified, the monitor showed her body struggling to keep up but she kept going. She knew if she didn't, the trauma caused by a fatal blow may well kill her.

Sephiroth turned to the scientist,

"Stop this. Now" He stated firmly. Although visibly disturbed, the man in the white coat shook his head. Clearly the inner conflict of facing Hojo vs. facing Sephiroth now was raging within him. A despairing scream snapped Sephiroth's head round. The display showed Meia's right leg had been virtually severed just above the knee. Her headset cut of all nerve impulses too it, registering only severe pain and it hung limply. Genesis now faced the scientist as Sephiroth decided to take action.

Meia scrambled away just in time to avoid another lethal strike. She was utterly terrified. A façade of her friend was trying to kill her. His face showed no remorse, no anger, and no joy. Only a confident smirk. She realized with a sickening jolt, that smirk was the last thing people saw if they were unlucky enough to be killed by him. He had her backed into a corner and brought his arm up…time slowed down and braced herself. She didn't have the strength to fight anymore. Her body was utterly exhausted and shaking uncontrollably. She only hoped that was able to handle the distress this deathblow would cause her.

She expected pain, but instead a strong arm pressed her against a warm chest, something soft and fragrant fell about her face and shoulders and she sensed a large presence shield her from the hologram. A second later that presence was jolted by a loud crash of metal meeting metal. She heard two swords singing in unison and she knew she was safe. Only one sword she knew of made that sound.

Sephiroth easily deflected his ghost's attacks until it calmly stopped, stepped back and began to dissipate. The room reverted back to its usual self and Sephiroth saw Genesis holding the scientist over the control panel. Seemingly he had succeeded in forcing the man to stop the program. Sephiroth gently set Meia against the wall of the room and helped her remove the headset she was wearing. Her face was white as snow and drenched in sweat. She struggled to get her breathing under control, having to take massive gulps of air to satisfy her body's demand for oxygen. Sephiroth hesitated before removing a glove and feeling her neck for a pulse; it was still racing. She needed medical attention. Gently he gathered her up and lifted her to his chest, her body weight barely registering to him. She felt so fragile, so small. She opened her eyes and looked up at him as he carried her out,

"Saving my life again…..huh sir?" She said weakly, he glanced down at her for a moment before hushing her and telling her to lie still. Again…she didn't argue.

****

……_.you…i.k…….isted……ard!!!_

……_..ow….dare….u….._

_...sy …ephi..roth. i…thin..ou….ould…leave…ojo…_

_No…til I have finished taking a sample. Now stand aside BOY_

_Sephiroth…hey, calm down._

"Get. Out." Sephiroth growled. He was livid and honestly contemplating breaking the man's neck. Hojo however, didn't leave.

"I mean it. Get out. If you really have to take a sample I'll do it. But I swear if you lay a finger on her ill snap it off"

"Tch, so violent child. I couldn't trust you to do it, only someone who knows what they are doing should take samples" He pushed his glasses up his nose. Eventually, with the help of Angeal and Genesis, Hojo was convinced to allow Sephiroth to take his wretched sample and he left. They sat by the window of the hospital room and let him cool off.

Sephiroth constantly told himself, after every encounter, that he couldn't possibly hate the man any more than he already did. But he was surprised to learn the depth of that hatred kept getting deeper. He sighed and looked at the ceiling, calming himself, before turning to face the bed that Meia was lying in. He was required to take blood from her, so he secured her arm in a tourniquet carefully. But as he reached for a fresh needle he noticed she was awake and watching him,

"What was all the shouting about…?" She asked quietly, watching Sephiroth prepare the needle and syringe. He didn't say anything. Usually he didn't allow himself to get so worked up and if he did, only Angeal and Genesis had ever seen it. He was slightly ashamed to learn Meia had heard him defending her. Ashamed…or embarrassed?

"Sephiroth was threatening to kill the guy that did this to you. Don't blame him to be honest…" Genesis said from the window after noticing Sephiroth had clammed up. Meia nodded and winced as he inserted the needle into her arm,

"Sorry. Hojo was going to take it but…" he trailed off. Angeal sighed,

"But Sephiroth wouldn't let him near you" He finished for his friend. Meia sighed and laid back,

"Thank you. Again…"

****

Meia was discharged in the evening. Although shaken, she'd suffered no actual damage and was deemed fit enough to go. She sat on her bed, reading the contents of a package that arrived for her earlier. It was a mission brief, stating she was to accompany a first class SOLDIER on a mission that would complete her assessment. She was to report to the helipad at 07:00, geared and ready to go. Meia turned in early, she was exhausted. And more afraid of SOLDIER than ever.

The morning was cold, but still. Perfect flying conditions, she thought to herself. She stood in line with two of her fellow third classes plus two regular infantrymen, waiting on the arrival of their first class commander.

"Tch, they tell _us _to be here at 07:00 but the commander is always late…" A tall man with cropped brown hair muttered under his breath.

"Shhh…don't say things like that" Replied the SOLDIER to his right, shorter and lighter built, "especially since this is an assessment mission"

They snapped to attention as a tall, instantly recognisable figure approached them and Meia had to supress her feelings of relief.

"Let's get going" Sephiroth addressed them, motioning the group into the helicopter.

Once in the air, he advised them they were to be conducting a routine scouting mission at a site in the mountains near the chocobo farm area. The area was being assessed by a team of geologists and engineers as a possible reactor site. Reports also showed unusually high deposits of mako in the caves that ran throughout the mountain range.

The reason they were being flown in, was due to the growing safety concerns of the science team posted there. At least two members had gone missing. The theory was they had disturbed a colony of local fauna in the cave systems and were being attacked by the angered beasts.

The sun had risen on the flight out to the town of Kalm, and they were now traveling on the road the rest of the way. Meia watched the sunrise out of a window. She wondered if she'd get a chance to talk to Sephiroth at any point during the mission. She probably shouldn't, as it was an assessment. But the previous day haunted her, and she wanted to ask him about it. She removed her helmet and set it down at her feet. Sephiroth sat opposite her with the infantrymen, but he was seemingly resting his eyes. The small third class sat next to her, the impatient one next to him. Everyone sure seemed nervous for a routine mission. It was because of Sephiroth, she concluded, and couldn't help a smirk.

They arrived at the settlement towards the evening. Meia was surprised to find a small village there; she was under the impression it would be a few tents and a rock table. As the party moved in, she noted a small Inn, a grocery store and a few quaint houses. Vegetables were growing the fields and the meadows were dotted with little patches of wildflowers. _Ah, such a welcome contrast to Midgar _she thought to herself. A pair of harassed looking individuals emerged from the Inn to greet them. They exchanged hurried words with Sephiroth, before gesturing to a field next to a chocobo pen. Sephiroth stared at it for a moment before nodding and the two men hurried off back to the Inn. He turned to the group,

"Well, it seems there is no room at the Inn for us, so you will sleeping in tents" No one moved,

"I trust this isn't a problem?" Sephiroth challenged. Normally, he wouldn't care what they thought as long as they did what they were told. But he had to 'assess' he reminded himself. Still, no one said anything but it was clear the mouthy Third wanted to speak,

"S-sir?" He managed at last, Sephiroth nodded for him to continue, "You said 'we'. Where are you going to stay?"

Sephiroth simply stared at him, before speaking again, "There are three tents in the chocobo stables. May I suggest you practice good decency and allow Miss LeSait her privacy. They are big enough to share between the rest of you. The meadow beside the chocobo's is an adequate site" And with that, he turned to leave, heading for the Inn.

The big brunette turned to face Meia once the commander was out of earshot,

"Privacy. Special treatment more like" He spat and stormed off to the stables. She sighed; the Third's name was Tristan Glover. Seemingly he was referring to the training room incident. He was arrogant and spoiled, a rich man's kid from the upper plates of Midgar. No doubt the concept of sleeping in a bag on a tarp floor was abhorrent to him. Meia usually paid him no heed, but on a mission…his attitude would get old fast.

She stayed in the main village. It made no sense for all the SOLDIER's to be in-disposed putting up tents, leaving the guard duty to the infantry. She'd suggested that two of them set up their tents along with Tristan and Clee, the other Third, while the last infantryman remained with her. She would put hers up when they were done.

By now the suns lingering light was fast fading. Lamps were coming on in the village; the fuel generator could be heard humming away now it was slightly quieter. Still there was no sign of her companions, even though the two infantrymen had returned. They were pleasant; seemingly they were trained to follow orders to the letter and not to question. They wouldn't be any trouble. SOLDIER's on the other hand had a tendency to believe that because they were part of the Shinra elite, they could be cocky and flippant. Meia's patience was running out, so she strode out towards the meadow.

As predicted, she found the two in their tent playing cards under an oil lamp,

"What do you two think you're doing?"

"Playing cards" Tristan grunted.

"Oh, well that's nice. What happened to relieving me so I could put my tent up?" She said, crouching down and lifting up the opening. Tristan was trying hard to keep a grin off his face. Clee looked slightly worried. Poor little Clee. Whether he liked it or not, he was along for the ride.

"Well?"

"Ah yea…sorry 'bout that. Guess we forgot"

She stood up with a huff, "well might I suggest you get up and stand guard with the others so I can sort my tent out?"

"Yea in a minute"

Meia stormed off back into the town. She just hoped those two wouldn't drag her score down. Although, she wondered, if she hated SOLDIER so much…why was she trying hard to advance up the ranks? She shook her head; something told her even if she wanted to leave, she wouldn't be allowed. Something about yesterday made her feel like a lab rat. A test subject. From what Angeal was saying to her in the hospital room, it sounded like Hojo had her pushed to the brink on purpose. This terrified her, though as usual, she did her best not to show it.

It was night-time now and still no sign of relief from either of her two 'classmates' She sighed; _I can sleep on a straw bale for tonight I guess_ she thought to herself, perching on the edge of a large well and looking at the stars. They were so beautiful. Clusters of scintillating jewels winked at her, liberally scattered across the deep blue canvas. There was no way you could see this from Midgar; she followed the powdery trail of tightly clustered, distant stars, as they dipped to the horizon line. It was the simple things…

A clumsy, rustling sound followed by several thuds and what sounded like a raised voice drew her head back towards the meadow. A chocobo began to wark, startled by the ruckus. At first she thought something was wrong and she drew her sword, but the heavy form of Tristan accompanied by Clee emerged from behind the scattering of small tree's that partially blocked the view of the meadow. He lumbered towards her as she sheathed her sword again,

"Were here to relive you" He mumbled, looking at the ground. She looked at Clee, who scratched the back of his head and donned his helmet. Meia simply nodded and left them there, wondering what had prompted their sudden change of heart.

As the moon was full, she figured there would be enough light to put her tent up even now it was way into the night. But when she went to the small stable barn to get her tent, she found it locked. No tent. No straw. No nothing. She banged her helmeted head against the door gently, trying to reassure herself that it really wasn't that bad. Something flashed faintly to her right and she straightened up. She smiled as she got closer; she hadn't noticed it before, but behind a barrel a little way off the door was a large bag that she assumed contained a tent. But that wasn't what caught her eye. Floating gently in the breeze was a couple of very long silver threads, snagged on a rough plank of wood protruding from the barns wall. She took her gloves off and pocketed them, before gently releasing the delicate looking strands from their holding. Human hair. His hair. She ran her fingers along them; so smooth and incredibly strong. Finally she let them go and they fluttered to the ground gently. She set off to find a good spot to erect her accommodation.

The following morning she was up and dressed while the sun was still low on the horizon. The Dewey grass was frozen and crunchy beneath her bare feet as she stretched and loosened up. Several of the chocobo's were watching her closely. She's chosen a spot under a tree close to the big birds; partly for shelter, partly because they would serve as an excellent alarm system. Those were her official reasons anyway. Chocobo's were incredibly cute to her and she cooed and said 'good morning' to a rather large male that had wandered to the fence to get a better look at her.

While she yearned to go for a run, wandering off too far wouldn't be in her best interests. Especially if something happened while she was gone. Unlikely, but you never know. Instead she wandered back into the main village quietly. The morning was turning out to be quite mild, though she mused, her tolerance for lower temperatures had increased somewhat. She wondered what else the 'treatment' had done to her.

After a while she was joined by Sephiroth, who was a little startled to see her up so early,

"I thought you'd be lying in a little after last night" he mentioned after he bade her a good morning. She was still standing to attention. He sighed and led her towards the mountain path, where no guards were posted,

"You don't have to stand like that with me Meia" He watched her flinch, but still she stood straight,

"Sir, I am under the impression I'm being assessed. Therefore I wish to do all I can to pass sir!" She replied firmly.

"Then I am ordering you to relax. And stop calling me 'sir'" He lent on a large rock and folded his arms. Meia seemed to hesitate, before exhaling and bringing a hand up to scratch her neck,

"If you insist" She muttered, removing her stuffy helmet. She jumped up on the rock and sat next to him, watching the sun climb lazily into the sky.

"Hey, thanks for what you did for me the other day. I appreciate it" she said after some time. Sephiroth smiled,

"Don't mention it. I wasn't going to just let that thing injure you; it would have been a waste…"

"A waste huh…" she said quietly. Sephiroth pursed his lips; probably not the best thing to say; now he thought about it.

"You know what I mean…" he said. She looked at him, staring, until he was forced to meet her gaze. Eventually she shook her head and smiled,

"You're hopeless" she told him, which provoked a low laugh from the tall man.

"Meia, are you still afraid of SOLDIER?" he asked a short while later. She inhaled deeply,

"Honestly? Yes…more than ever. I was so angry with you back in the hospital I could have…" she paused and looked away, "…well, I could have quite easily hated you forever. If I had the strength. You said I was your friend up in the mountains. I trusted you; I told you I was afraid of SOLDIER. And then I wake up and you tell me you let them change me…" she looked at her feet. Sephiroth contained a look of anguish. At least she was talking to him about it though.

"I know. And I'm sorry. But if you want _me_ to be honest? I would have done it many times over if it meant saving a friends life" he said calmly, looking at the sky. She nodded,

"I guess when it comes down to it; it's not that simple. Being forced to choose…I guess you think I'm an ungrateful cow"

"Not at all. I just…" he struggled to think of something to say, "I'm just glad you're well now" he finished. That would have to do.

"Sephiroth?"

"hmmm?"

"Why…did Hojo try to kill me yesterday" she asked, very quietly. This Meia was different; he heard it in her voice. This was the frightened Meia that she fought so hard to supress; the Meia he met huddled around the burner in the cabin that day. Sadistically, for now, this was the Meia he liked the most. It meant she trusted him enough to let her guard down. He took a deep breath before replying,

"SOLDIER's to Hojo…are like test subjects. He was part of the team that perfected the genetic modifications to be applied to individuals, and he developed the mako infusion technique. Every human that goes through his procedure he views as an experiment" He looked at her, "You shouldn't take it personally"

"That's a little hard to do when you're lying on the floor wondering if you're going to die…" She replied quietly. He had to give her that one.

"We're all treated the same" he lied…"and you know the three of us are here if you need anything"

She said nothing. Finally she looked at him, the golden morning sun illuminating his face and eyes and she had to look away before her stomach lurched. She smiled and nodded.

"If you'll excuse me, sir…" She said, sliding off the rock and reaching for her headgear, "I'm going to return to watch duty. Certain…individuals already think I'm getting special treatment so I don't really want to be seen with you out here…sir"

Sephiroth chuckled and shook his head, "Very good SOLDIER, carry on" And he watched her secure her helmet, salute and jog off back down the path to the village.

***

All in all, they were at the village for just under a week. The caves and surrounding land was checked for hostiles but nothing showed up. Only when the scientists went out with their instruments and gear, were they attacked. Meia made a remark about the local wildlife protecting their property and driving out anything that caused them harm, a remark that earned her some funny looks. Especially from Tristan, but Meia got her revenge, in-directly at least. A whole pack of beasts set upon the three SOLDIER's towards the end of the week when they were guarding the science team. Apparently the large man was under the impression Sephiroth would handle them but when one started savaging his arm, he was forced to re-consider.

"Moron. How can you be assessed if he takes care of everything? This is a mission not a guided tour…" Meia hissed under her breath as Tristan was tossed to the ground beside her. She un-sheathed her sword and stood ready. She still wasn't altogether comfortable using a blade, but at least she'd improved enough to be a little more confident. Still…this was the field, not a holo-room. Wounds out here were real. Tristan scrambled away as one of the large feline beasts rounded on her and pounced. She brought her sword up and shoved it away when it made contact with the flat of her blade. She hated the thought of having to harm them. It was circling her now, swiping with its paws which she parried with relative ease. Tristan, thinking this was a good window to attack, attempted to strike the creature from behind, but it was faster than him and delivered a powerful buck, both hind paws ramming into the big man's torso which sent him reeling. Meia shook her head; such a professional. Clee had managed to shepherd the scientists away down the path, leaving her and Tristan to take care of the animals. One tried to give chase, but was startled away by a well-aimed bolt from the small SOLDIER, who was for some reason very adept with materia. Three were now circling the two SOLDIERS', growling and snapping at them. Tristan's arm had stopped bleeding so heavily but it was clearly giving him some bother. Still, he decided that rushing and charging again was the best thing to do so, with a hefty over dramatic bellow, he ran at the closest beast. Meia watched as he hacked and slashed with no great accuracy or technique. But at least he formed a diversion; the three large cats were now completely ignoring her. One tried to leap cleanly over her head to attack him but Meia quickly and precisely jabbed upwards with her blade, ending the beast's life instantly. It crashed into a lifeless heap behind Tristan who leapt away in shock. Now she had their attention. One of the remaining two snarled hideously at her and prepared to pounce. As it sprang forward, she gracefully sidestepped and beheaded it, almost faster than she realized what happened. She turned to face the last one, which was in the process of shaking Tristan's helmet in its mouth, crushing it like a tin can.

"You gonna kill that Mr Glover, or would you like a hand?" She remarked flippantly.

"Screw you! I can kill it…watch me!" He yelled in reply, brandishing his sword and charging again. Meia shook her head. He dealt a few blows, but most of them glanced off and only served to aggravate the beast further. Tristan's foot snagged on a tree root and he dove forwards, somehow managing to cling to the monsters back. He cried in triumph but his face quickly changed to horror as the powerful animal reared up in anger and frustration, crashing right over onto its back, knocking Tristan out. Before it could recover and finish him off, Meia drove her sword into its ribcage through its heart and back out again. It slumped to the ground and Meia observed the carnage, muttering a solemn apology quietly. Replacing her sword on her back, she felt Tristan's neck for a pulse. He was alive so she hoisted him up on her shoulder, not caring if her pauldrons would leave bruises or not. She was surprised at how easy it was to carry a full grown man like this now, but still…she made the ride as bumpy as possible as she jogged and skipped back down the path.

When she was far enough away, Sephiroth deftly jumped down from the tree he was perched in. He'd watched the whole fight from his leafy vantage point. He checked the animals to make sure they were terminated and found, as he knew, that to be the case. All taken out with one swing, admirable. He noted that even though she was afraid and hesitant, when it was required of her, she could defiantly deliver. Almost as if she was programed and reacting out of instinct. He dragged the bodies all into a pile before incinerating them.

A villager's scream sounded out from down the path and he turned towards the sound. Another yell and he descended the path to find out what was happening. What appeared to be some sort of alpha pack leader with two subordinates was in the town centre. No civilians appeared to be hurt; indeed all of them had fled to the relative safety of their houses. He decided watching this time wasn't an option. The pack leader was a lot larger than its flunkies and seemingly a lot more vicious. Before he could act however, an infantryman who had succeeded in killing one of the smaller animals was set upon by its furious leader. The man screamed in terror as the beast clamped its jaws about his torso and squeezed. By now Meia and Clee had killed the last of the small animals and watched helplessly as the doomed infantryman was torn to pieces, blood and gore raining to the ground below. The huge beast stood tall and let out an almighty roar before turning to leave; its message delivered clearly for all to see. Sephiroth knew allowing it to live would count as a fail on his mission report, which wasn't something he tolerated. Summoning his sword he took off in pursuit, closing the distance between them effortlessly, and killed the thing before it realised it was being followed. He walked back to the village, where some of the braver inhabitants came out to observe the grizzly scene. The two remaining infantrymen stood with their heads bowed in silent grief. Meia was patting a vomiting Clee on the back; it looked as though he'd never witnessed anything like that before. Tristan was regaining consciousness under the tree he was dumped at.

Sephiroth simply stood and watched. And wondered; if he was fast enough, he could have saved that man. But he didn't. He'd simply stood and watched it destroy him. It reminded him of the mako reactor at Howl's summit except this time he didn't feel grief. He didn't feel regret or frustration at himself. He could accept this time it was just part of the job. He looked at Meia, who was reassuring some of the village folk. Why did she invoke such feelings from him? Had that been her in the beast's mouth…he was willing to bet he would have moved to save her. He realized just how much he did care about her and he shook his head.

Later that day they departed, the scientists went with them as their jobs were done. For now. On the way back, Meia had sat next to her friend, not wanting the company of Tristan again. She had a headache and sitting as far away from him as possible was preferable. She'd even made sure she sat on the edge of the seat closest to the back door, forcing Sephiroth to block him from her.

It wasn't enough.

The large oaf assumed that only he and Meia were present at the scuffle with the beasts up the path. He was now telling Clee how well he fought, how his bravery formed the backbone of their assault. She tried to block him out. She didn't care that he was trying to claim the fame. She knew Sephiroth was there, she'd peeked at his mission report he'd left 'lying' around on his personal pad. She knew the right version was on file. But his voice was getting annoying and her headache was getting worse. She'd tried to cure it with materia but the force of having to concentrate to use it counter-acted its effects and it just ended up slightly worse than before. She wasn't very good with materia yet.

Tristan kept talking for a few hours, about useless crap mostly after he'd exhausted his original material source. Meia removed her helmet again and massaged her temples. By her reckoning they were still three hours out from Kalm and her patience wearing thin.

Sephiroth's eyes opened slightly, sensing her movement and he watched her. She looked tired; the attack before they left must have been trying. Losing an infantryman was a harsh reality they all had to face. Tristan seemed to only be interested in himself. Clee was notably shaken and not paying any attention to his blabbering colleague. The remaining infantrymen were shaken too, but they had more experience and were coping. Meia was holding her head in her hands now so he asked her quietly if she was feeling alright,

"I just have a splitting headache…" she replied in a whisper. Sephiroth watched her, hesitating, before removing a glove and gently resting his naked hand on her crown. Ah yes, he felt the throbbing ache pulsing away somewhere at the front of her head and he used his own materia to calm and soothe it. As he did so, he couldn't help but notice her hair; soft and smooth with a gentle warmth coming from her scalp.

He rarely touched anyone without his gloves on, he'd worn them for as long as he could remember and he simply didn't have anyone around when he took them off. After meeting Angeal and Genesis that changed and sometimes during off time when they were doing something together he'd touch one of them. A brush of fingers while passing objects to one another was most common and he didn't have a problem with them touching him. But his own fingertips had grown to be far too intimate and he avoided touching people with bare skin if he could help it. It wasn't a level of intimacy he was comfortable with. But he had discovered he had no problem with Meia. He didn't have to remove his glove, but he chose too. Something he wouldn't usually do. Feeling her life under his fingertips a week ago in the training room was almost thrilling for him and he was half glad he was angry at Hojo, or people may have been able to see an altogether different flush on his face.

He removed his hand and re-gloved it. It was only a momentary heal, but at least he'd eased it for her. He sat and reflected for a moment; that was quite unlike him. He'd been doing a lot of things that were unlike him lately. Meia straightened and blinked, mostly pain free and she looked at him, smiling a 'thank you'. It would come back, but hopefully they would be at Kalm by then and he could help her in peace. He nodded slightly and rested his head on the side of the truck again,

"Mr Glover kindly shut up now, before we _all_ have headaches" He stated firmly before closing his eyes again. Tristan was silent for the remainder of the trip.


	13. Chapter 13 Trypanophobia

whew, this chapter was disturbing to write, mainly because I suffer personally from the title! Look it up - anyone else who does also can probably sympathize lol X_x

**Chapter 13**

Trypanophobia

Two weeks after the mission and the training room incident, the third class SOLDIER's got their assessment results. Meia stood in the briefing room with Zack and watched him bring his report up on the big projector screen.

"Are you sure you don't mind me seeing that?" she asked him. Zack shook his head,

"Naaah, you're a cool dude…lady…, 'course I don't. Oh maaan…" The sparky teen put his hands behind his head and chewed his lip as he read the report;

*

_Zack Fair – SOLDIER third class rank 7 – First term Assessment results - _

_**Theory assessment **_

_**Instructor – Evan Birch**_

_Company knowledge – Good_

_Combat theory – Average_

_Materia theory – Very Poor_

_Although Zack is certainly an enthusiastic young man, he needs to learn to focus that enthusiasm and apply it to the task at hand. He is easily distracted during lectures and has trouble concentrating. I believe he could do so much better if he calmed down and really focused._

_**Combat training assessment**_

_**Trainer – James Carter**_

_Strength – Good_

_Speed – Above average_

_Agility – Above average_

_Stamina – Average_

_Materia use – Poor_

_Mr Fair's energy and enthusiasm is certainly very nice to work with. However it will sometimes get in the way when he is training, wasting valuable energy simply spent 'bouncing around'. He is doing well so far, but more focus wouldn't go amiss._

_**Field assessment**_

_**Assessor – Angeal Hewley**_

_Zack seems to thrive on practical field work. He was bright and enthusiastic and showed a great willingness to learn. Unfortunately his unbridled enthusiasm landed him in trouble a few times, one encounter leaving a painful lesson for him to learn. Still, there is nothing wrong with his attitude, he just needs to learn to calm down and focus._

_**Promotion decision from Director Lazard – **__Rank increased to SOLDIER 3d Class, rank 6_

_Overall an average report Zack but there is vast room for improvement. Please work hard on the points highlighted by your peers._

_*  
_

Meia looked at Zack, who crossed his arms,

"I just can't help it…" He half pouted, "I get so excited…" He looked at his feet.

"You were expecting a higher promotion?" She asked him. Zack nodded his head. Meia put her hand on his back and gave it a pat,

"Hey, the report could have been worse. You just have to work a bit harder, that's all" She reassured him "Besides, half the group didn't get promoted at all. Imagine how bad they did" Zack sighed,

"Yea…I guess you're right. Angeal was cool though, have you met him?... Hey! Let's look at yours now…do you mind?"

Meia shook her head and deftly recalled her own report to display on the screen;

*

_Meia LeSait – SOLDIER Third Class rank 7 – First term assessment –_

_**Theory assessment**_

_**Instructor – Evan Birch**_

_Company Knowledge – Good_

_Combat Theory – Good_

_Materia Theory – Good_

_Meia displays an aptitude for learning and applies herself every lesson and lecture. Not much to say other than keep up the good work._

_**Combat training assessment**_

_**Trainer – James Carter**_

_Strength – Above Average_

_Speed – Very Good_

_Agility – Excellent_

_Stamina – Very good_

_Materia Use – Below Average_

_Meia has an advantage from her previous profession but even taking this into account her abilities are astounding. What she lacks in physical strength she makes up with speed and excellent reflexes. Her materia use needs improvement however and I believe she would benefit massively from some personal one-on-one training in this area. Overall a very good effort._

_**Field assessment**_

_**Assessor – Sephiroth**_

_Miss LeSait has a good head on her shoulders and copes well with any given situation. She has a slight weakness in that she allows herself to hesitate before acting, something which is not necessarily negative, but she needs to work on her confidence so that she can make faster, firmer decisions. When she is required to, she is defiantly able to deliver more than is required of her._

_**Promotion decision from Director Lazard – **__Rank increased to SOLDIER Third class Rank 2 – Excellent report Meia, I am pleased with your progress. With regards to materia training, Sephiroth has volunteered to help with your development and is looking over his own schedule currently. He will let you know personally when he is ready._

_*  
_

Meia stared at her report, half stunned. The other half of her was confident and pleased. She knew she always tried hard, in the Turks nothing short of her best was good enough. In SOLDIER her old best wasn't enough so she pushed harder and her modified body rewarded her. Even more surprising was Sephiroth volunteering to help her personally. Zack was equally as stunned,

"Your only two steps from Second…you know that don't you?" He said, now looking at her, his usual spark back. She nodded in acknowledgment. That was the biggest surprise, her promotion. She wondered what the rest of her report said, the more classified sections that were for the directors eyes only. Things like medical reports and personal concerns of all the assessors. She was particularly interested in getting her hands on the reports from the scientists in charge of reporting her progress to Hojo. No light was ever shed on what they were actually doing or testing, something which made her contemplate utilising an old skill of hers to 'allow' herself access to the reports. She would have to research the security system protecting Shinra's computers before she could though. The last thing she needed was to be traced and then who knows what they would do to punish her.

Since that day, Meia was feeling slightly better about being in SOLDIER. Knowing Sephiroth was there for her gave her strength, although she wasn't about to tell him that. Just being his friend was enough to get her through the days. She always looked forward to that odd smile that they sometimes exchanged when they passed in the corridors. Knowing someone who had been through all the ranks of SOLDIER was comforting; if she needed help, all she had to do was ask.

But in the first week of spring, she would find she needed that strength more than ever.

***

"Ugh. That day already"

"Yep. Tomorrow in fact, don't forget your sick bag"

"Ha! I'd put money on you losing it this time Angeal. You almost did last quarter"

"Bet on Sephiroth for a change…"

"And throw away my money? Please…he's used to them"

"What am I used too, hmm?" Sephiroth said, stepping through the door, having heard most of his comrade's conversation from the other side.

"Ah, glad you could join us. It's injection day tomorrow" Genesis said, waving to Sephiroth before hoisting himself up on the briefing room table. The tall man sighed; Mako injections. One of the worst things they had to endure in SOLDIER.

Normal members of SOLDIER were only injected with mako when they joined, as part of the treatment they received. After that all they had to worry about was mako baths every six months, which were slightly irritating but mostly harmless. But for some reason, Angeal, Genesis and himself were injected with the stuff every three months. Sephiroth had asked, of course, why it was needed. But as usual, no one would tell him. The amount that people couldn't tell him was beginning to wear thin. If only he could get around the coding protecting Hojo's precious files he could learn so much. But it would take a special kind of person to get past that security. Sephiroth has learned the hard way that hacking Shinra's systems was nearly impossible and was forced to face that hacking was just as much an art as it was a process.

"Just try not to rip Hojo's head off, eh Seth?" Genesis added, bringing him round from his musings. He 'harrumphed' to himself; he couldn't promise that.

As noon finished the following day, the three first class friends made their way to the labs in the Shinra building. They weren't injected at the same time as the 'normal' members were bathed, even if the days coincided. Partly to preserve their privacy, partly to keep the procedure hushed.

Traditionally the three of them didn't eat anything a whole twenty four hours in advance of the injection. It wasn't standard, nor was it recommended, but the mako injections were harrowing and their bodies found ways of passing anything that was in their systems. Usually through vomiting. Sephiroth knew however, anything was possible. He closed his eyes. He didn't want to remember. _Not now_.

As they proceeded up the corridor, the seats lining the outer wall came into view and curiously, they had an occupant,

"Meia…" Sephiroth breathed, slowing down. No…they can't be…

"Meia!" Genesis waved and called to her. She looked up and quickly jumped to her feet in a salute. Angeal smiled at her and reached his hand out to ruffle the black locks on her head. The mood soon changed however,

"So why are you up here? Is everything ok?" Angeal asked, physically pulling her out of the salute she was holding.

"Yea, I'm fine but I was told yesterday I have to report here for an injection. They didn't say what"

The three men simply exchanged concerned glances. Sephiroth frowned,

"Are you sure…?" He asked her, stepping forward. Meia nodded to him and passed him the letter she had received. He scanned it while Genesis disappeared into the lab. It was true, no doubt about it. Sephiroth looked at her. She looked so lost. He felt a tug in his chest for some reason while he watched her bite her bottom lip and glance towards the door.

"When was the last time you ate?" He asked softly.

"Just now, at lunch"

Sephiroth sighed, "After a full breakfast and dinner last night?" She nodded. He looked at Angeal who frowned and shook his head. She was even in her full uniform. The letter had said nothing other than report here for an injection. She had no idea what was about to happen to her. Angeal grasped his arm and lead him away from Meia, out of earshot,

"What do you think is going on? Why does she have to go through this as well?" He asked under his breath. Sephiroth shook his head and looked at his friend.

"Well…the poor girl is in for a rough ride" Angeal said sadly before joining her again. Sephiroth watched him help Meia remove the thick belts and buckles keeping her armour in place. She wasn't wearing her helmet thankfully; they knew she would appreciate being as comfortable as possible. Even they weren't in uniform. They always dressed casually in normal clothes. Loose fitting pants and soft old tops were very much preferred. Genesis always wore his 'drunken happy face' shirt, as he called it. The round yellow smiley with a lopsided mouth and crosses for eyes gave him something to smile about afterwards. Genesis reappeared at the door and looked at him, shaking his head sadly. So, no mistakes. Meia was being injected too. But the question was, why?

They all walked solemnly into the lab and the door hissed shut behind them. It was gloomy, as it always was in these places. Various instruments and experiments were cluttered about haphazardly, pipes and cables hung between them like spider webs. Scientists flitted here and there, none of them looking up at the four members of SOLDIER who had just entered. They were led quite a way in, so a separate area cordoned off with screens and lit by bright overhead lamps. Meia glanced around nervously. She recognised the smell of mako, mingled with the smell of chemicals and surgical cleanliness. It made her feel lightheaded. They were greeted by a lone scientist, which wasn't Hojo. Sephiroth felt he could have jumped for joy if it wasn't for the rest of the circumstances.

"Professor Hojo is supervising an important project elsewhere so I will be performing the injections today" A tall skinny man with glasses informed them. Sephiroth glanced down at Meia, who he noticed had kept close to him since they entered. At least she would be spared Hojo for her first time. She was looking around, probably trying to locate exactly what she was going to be injected with. Again, he felt a twinge in his stomach. She was a ghost of her former self as a Turk like this; her fear was almost tangible to him standing so close. A fear that he was partly responsible for.

"Sephiroth first please, we'll get the biggest dose out the way now" The scientist drawled. Seems Hojo trains his staff to be as apathetic as he is. Sephiroth nudged Meia with his arm and gave her a small comforting smile. At least that's how he hoped it came across. She watched him step forward and remove his shirt, throwing it to hang over one of the screens, before climbing on one of the tables. Which chillingly looked very similar to an operating table. The scientist started talking to him, asking him various questions to which he gave simple answers. His blood pressure was taken before being asked to lie down and keep still. Then Meia noticed the table had restraints built into it. Big ones, they looked like they were designed to hold down something larger and stronger than normal people. The scientist began to fiddle with them but Sephiroth stopped him, stating he prefers not to use them.

"Why…why does he need to be restrained?" Meia asked Angeal timidly. He sighed,

"Well…you'll see Meia" He said sedately.

"But…isn't this just an injection? What's going to happen?" She replied, failing to hide the growing alarm creeping up on her. Genesis moved back to stand on her other side, watching as Sephiroth's arm was rubbed with local anaesthetic,

"We're going to be injected with mako, Meia, and the needle…isn't your usual hypo…" He told her. Her eyes went wide, mako? She almost died falling into the stuff and now it was being injected into her directly? She almost ran. The panic was now gripping her, threatening to choke her and she took a step back. Angeal reached behind her and placed his hand on her shoulder in an attempt to reassure her. All three of them watched as a huge needle, so large it was being wielded by a mechanical arm, positioned itself over a laser targeted crosshair on Sephiroth's shoulder. The table had been tilted forward and Meia stared at his face with panic stricken eyes. He gave her what he hoped was a reassuring look, before closing them and composing himself.

The long needle seemed to hesitate before it plunged mercilessly through the fair skin on Sephiroth's shoulder, not stopping until it had punctured the large vein that ran through into his chest. His face flickered slightly but he managed to remain calm. Mostly due to the fact the worst was yet to come. Meia looked at the syringe; there was a lot of mako in it, it was all going to be injected? The plunger began to administer the glowing green ichor and Sephiroth's eyebrows instantly tightened. His breathing got deeper as he focused every ounce of mental strength he had to block out the pain that was now invading his system.

Meia watched as every drop was pumped into him and finally the needle was withdrawn. The hole, oozing green tinged blood, was dressed and the tall SOLDIER was given a moment before he climbed off the table again. Sephiroth was usually fair but Meia was alarmed to see him totally drained of colour. His lips, usually dark and full, were deathly pale and shadows had appeared around his eyes. He recovered his shirt slowly and popped it over his head. He really wasn't himself and he moved beyond the table into a shadowy area, bending over with his hands on his knees to steady himself. Where he stayed until Genesis, who was next, was strapped in. He moved back beside Meia and stood tall again. She looked up; it was a strain for him. She could see it on his face.

Both Genesis and Angeal were restrained, the reason was now apparent to her. Both of them were unable to deal with it as well as Sephiroth. They fought against their restraints, clenched their jaws and had to supress yelling as guttural bellows. By now, Meia was terrified.

And she was next.

She tried to block out the sound of Genesis retching in the shadows.

Angeal's ragged breathing.

Sephiroth quietly comforting the two men as they tried to deal with the flood of mako running through their veins.

"Hey, Seth…go stay with her, we'll be alright here" Angeal managed to croak to his friend, before resting his head in his hands again. His head was spinning and he felt he would pass out any moment.

Sephiroth nodded and returned to Meia, who was frozen in place, watching the scientist fill her syringe. He stepped in front of her, blocking it out. _Time for more out of character behaviour._ He placed his hands on her upper arms and squeezed slightly, making her look up at him,

"I won't lie to you" He began softly, "This will hurt a lot. Afterwards you'll feel very sick and the nausea will continue for several hours" He rubbed her arms gently and let her absorb the information. She nodded slowly, eyes still wide with fright. After a moment she grasped the bottom of her uniform roll neck and peeled it off over her head. Sephiroth took it for her and she whispered a shaky 'thank you' to him before stepping forwards.

"Is this your first injection?" The scientist asked her. She nodded. He jotted something on his clipboard before taking her blood pressure. The fear was threatening to overwhelm her again and she breathed deeply. Even the uncomfortable pinch of the inflatable armband almost made her bolt but she forced herself to remain sitting on the table. She was then asked to swing her legs up and lay down, where she was restrained. First about the thighs, arms and waist. Then extra straps were tightened around her shoulder to keep the injection site still. Now there was no escape. The table was raised until she was only just lying down and the laser sighted crosshairs lined up on her shoulder. She watched the needle being positioned to the right of her and she began to panic…

"Meia, look at me" Sephiroth had moved as close to her as he was allowed. She didn't hear him, she was paralyzed with fear. The only thing that existed at the moment was the giant needle.

"Meia…" He put his hand on her face and pushed it away from the sight of the needle, forcing her to look at him. _I'm scared _she whispered to him _please…I don't want this…please help me _and a single tear rolled down her cheek, over Sephiroth's thumb. He shook his head solemnly,

_You'll be ok. I'm here_

She stared at him, the fear that was swallowing her retreated momentarily after he whispered those words to her. Then she felt the sharp piercing pain of the needle push through her skin. She squeezed her eyes shut as she felt it come to a stop. The liquid began to force its way into her blood and for a brief moment, it felt no different from a normal injection. Then the pain hit her. Like fire was lacing its way through her system, white hot agony began to engulf her entire body from the point of injection. It was horrific. She gasped and tried to focus on her friend, but the more that was pumped into her, the more her vision was clouded. Her head felt like it was going to explode. The pain by now had spread right down to her toes and she clenched her jaw and squeezed her eyes closed. It would be over soon. She just had to hang on a little more. Her nails bit into her palms as she clenched them shut and her whole body went rigid. Then she became aware of her cheek being stroked ever so gently; Sephiroth still had his hand on her face. She focused on this small act of comfort and willed the pain to stop.

"All done. You may want to move sir…" The scientist chimed, almost happily now. Either it was his way of coping, or he was as sadistic as his boss. Sephiroth ignored him and he worked Meia free from her restraints as quickly as he could. She asked him to step back, saying she would be fine to get off herself but when she did, she felt as though the bones had been removed from her legs. Sephiroth caught her as she stumbled forward, her face crashing into his chest. Embarrassingly, she didn't have the strength to push herself away again. She tried to find her feet but to no avail. Her head was swimming and her body ached as if every muscle had been stretched and twisted.

Sephiroth stood straight and held her up, his large hands under her elbows. He was reminded that she was still topless, he couldn't touch anywhere without touching her skin directly. He swallowed and looked straight ahead, letting her try to compose herself. Something he found he needed to do also.

Just when she felt she had the strength to stand again, the nausea hit her. She pushed Sephiroth away; the thought of losing her lunch over him was mortifying. Luckily he knew what was coming and quickly helped her to a waste basin on the wall where she brought up all her lunch. Sephiroth stood behind her simply watching. He was still a little embarrassed from her partial nudity and didn't know what to do. Genesis got his attention from across the room and Sephiroth watched as he motioned to him, pretending to rub Angeal's back and holding his hair up and back, before pointing forcefully at Meia. Sephiroth understood and moved to Meia's left where he gently, and hesitantly, gathered her hair up in his left hand, holding it away from her face as she continued to be sick in the sink. He looked at her back; aside from the wide back strap of her bra she was nude still. He looked at his friends again and frowned. Genesis rolled his eyes while Angeal motioned 'Go on, get on with it' to him. So he took a deep breath and placed his free hand on her back and began to rub gently. At first his action was stiff, but eventually he relaxed and began soothing her again, speaking quiet words of encouragement.

For her first time, she had done well. He was impressed that she'd managed to stop herself calling out, but the aftermath she wasn't doing so well with. She kept vomiting even when there was nothing left to bring up and she remained dizzy for quite a while. She was leaning on the back wall of the elevator as they took it all the way down to the ground floor. Angeal explained that they weren't expected to stay on duty; Lazard understood what they had to go through and granted them the day off. Meia felt awful, even more so when they had told her that she would more than likely be injected every three months like them. She blinked, still not fully in control of her body and feeling like she'd been hit by a train. She also wanted to cry. To scream. Her composure and strength was fast leaving her. SOLDIER was yet again proving far more frightening than she imagined and she was beginning to dread each day all over again.

When they reached the bottom, she followed them out shakily, lagging behind somewhat. Angeal put his arm out, stopping the other two in their tracks,

"Hey, we can't just leave her like this. We should take her to her room before we leave"

Sephiroth nodded in agreement and went to help Meia, who was clutching a guardrail after a bout of dizziness. Genesis turned to Angeal when he was far enough away,

"So, what do you think? Is he?" He whispered quietly.

"Who knows? He's certainly accepted her, but whether he is or he isn't… it's up to him to work out. And don't tease him about it either Genesis" Angeal scolded.

After taking her up to her room, they made sure she was ok to be left alone,

"I'll be fine after a shower and a rest" She croaked, hugging herself for warmth. They didn't leave straight away however,

"Are…you guys feeling alright? I'm sorry; I didn't even think to ask…"

"We're fine. Mostly were used to it now…" Genesis replied. She looked at them,

"So, what are you doing now?"

"Well traditionally we do something to make us feel better. Go out, have a drink…get some food" Angeal trailed off when he saw her face at the mention of 'food',

"How can you stand to eat anything after that?" She asked.

"Hey, were used to it remember? First times are always the worst" Genesis answered. Meia nodded and swallowed down the ominous feeling welling up in her throat.

"Well, have fun. I'll…see you when I see you I guess" She managed, smiling weakly. Angeal and Genesis waved and turned back to the elevators but Sephiroth stayed.

"Are you sure you're going to be alright?" He asked gently. She nodded and smiled,

"Hey, I'm a SOLDIER now. I'll have to get used to it"

Sephiroth winced inwardly. No thanks to me, he thought. Meia seemed to pick up on his discomfort and she stepped closer to him,

"Hey, I didn't mean it like that. I'll be ok Sephiroth. Thank you for taking care of me in there…it was comforting having you with me" She looked up at him and was pleased to find him smiling down at her,

"If you need anything later, food…coffee, let me know" And he turned to follow his friends. She watched him leave and despite feeling terrible, she couldn't remove the smile from her face.

Her feelings were becoming far harder to supress now…


	14. Chapter 14 Project M?

**Chapter 14**

In the gloom of the lab a lone scientist sat looking over the report in front of him, the glow of his computer screen illuminating his face. He pushed his glasses up his nose and jotted something down on his clipboard. The computer screen flickered as a new file was pulled and displayed, vital statistics side by side for comparison. He continued to take notes, seemingly whatever he was recording was becoming more and more interesting the more he looked.

The soft hiss of the lab door being opened startled the man and he quickly dismissed the sensitive files from his screen,

"Who's there?" The man called calmly into the dim lab.

"Who do you think dullard, did I not tell you I would be returning this afternoon?" Came the familiar, bored drawl of Professor Hojo. The scientist turned back to his computer screen but was stopped by his boss, who had closed the distance between them remarkably fast,

"What have I told you about viewing those files in the open lab?" He chastised his worker, "Those files are incredibly sensitive. If anyone other than the Jenova project members see them it would be chaos. We don't want to set the time bomb off early now do we…"

"I'm sorry sir, but I just had to cross reference these results…"

"Her you mean? How did she take the first administration…" Hojo's interest was piqued.

"In my opinion, far better than the project G specimens but not as well as project S…I should imagine her fear amplified the effects however"

Hojo's face split into a sadistic grin, "So…it seems my spur of the moment experiment is proving far more successful than I dared hope. I should be spontaneous more often. Continue monitoring her, and place her medical files in the protected cache. We don't want uneducated types finding them"

"Right away professor"


	15. Chapter 15 He is human

**Chapter 15**

He is human

Sephiroth spent most of his evening with his friends utterly distracted. While they were 'doing shots' and other drinking games together he sat gazing into the distance.

Why they drunk like that he didn't understand. Having a soldier modified body meant that on average, four times more alcohol needed to be consumed before their bodies would begin to feel the effects. Meaning drinking sessions would cost a fortune. Then there was his body. Sephiroth couldn't recall ever getting drunk. He tried, once, at the push of genesis and Angeal, but after almost three bottles of straight vodka and yard of beer all he suffered from was a chronic need to pee. He decided he would never try it again and save his money for more enjoyable things. Like food.

Tonight however, even the gooey pile of nachos in front of him was mostly untouched as Sephiroth thought of Meia. He wondered if he should send her a message to make sure she was ok but each time he reached for his phone, the same feeling stopped him. What was it? Fear? Embarrassment? He took his phone out and stared at it again yet again, bracing himself as Genesis stumbled backwards into him.

"Your hopeless, you know that Seth? Yoush…should just call her, y'know?" He said, resting his chin on Sephiroth's shoulder. The tall man shrugged him off,

"And you should take it easy in case someone from the theatre see's you" He retorted, pocketing his phone again. Genesis snorted and leant on the bar. Sephiroth looked at Angeal, who understood his hint and stood on his other side, away from Genesis, who was starting to break into out of tune warbling.

"Why don't you just go and see her. It's obvious you want to" The older, more sober man said to him quietly.

"Is it? I don't know what I want Angeal…I'm still so lost in all of this. I don't know what I feel for Meia"

"So why don't you go to her and try to work it out? You say you've never felt like this before…so now would be the best time to explore your feelings"

"But…I don't want to use her as an experiment Angeal. What if I hurt her?"

"Saying that…I doubt you will, not intentionally anyway. Listen to me. Go to her. Talk with her. Laugh with her. I know you can laugh properly, without your hand in front of your face…" Angeal said, pushing Sephiroth's lips out and up into a forced smile, "See? Beautiful. Who could say no to that…"

Sephiroth raised an eyebrow, still sporting his 'assisted' smile. Angeal laughed,

"I'm pretty sure she doesn't know what to make of you either. It would be healthy for both of you. Now go, before you have to endure Genesis's singing"

Sephiroth looked at Angeal and smiled properly. The big, scruffy man always gave him the boost he needed,

"Alright, I'll go. Thank you Angeal. What would I do without you…"

"You'd have to get your own takeaway. Good luck kid" He said with a wave. Sephiroth threw his coat on and walked out into the cold night air. Normally he didn't let Angeal get away with calling him that, but tonight he didn't care. He began walking back to the Shinra building and took his phone out of his pocket again and found Meia in his address book. It rang a few times which almost caused him to worry but finally she picked up,

"H-hello..? Sephiroth?" She sounded bleary eyed and dazed,

"Hello Meia, I'm sorry, did I wake you?"

"Yea..well, no…I was just dozing really. What's up?"

He took a steadying breath, "I wanted to check up on you and make sure you're alright"

He heard her exhale through her nose softly, "Well…I feel awful to tell you the truth. And hungry, but mostly awful…"

"Think you're up to food?"

"Taken slowly I recon I could…"

"Alright. I'll bring you something…" He started to say, but she interrupted him,

"To my room? But…it's too small really, and…it's a mess"

"Ok then. Meet me at my floor in thirty minutes" He heard her start to splutter so he didn't give her a chance to object,

"Don't argue with me Meia, I'll see you soon" He told her softly. She said a quiet 'ok, bye bye' and hung up. Maybe that was a bit harsh. He sighed; how anyone was meant to be good at this he couldn't figure out.

***

Meia stared at her phone for a good while after she hung up. Did she hear him right? He wanted her to come up to his place? Half of her was grinning from ear to ear. The other half was nervous. She was trembling slightly but she told herself it was the injection.

Eventually she managed to pull herself together. She had yet another wash, she still swore she could smell vomit even after enough scrubbing to remove a layer of skin. Then she began rifling through her wardrobe; a room invite was a casual thing right? She could always change if it was inappropriate. She found a comfortable pair of form fitting, thigh length shorts, a tight, long ribbed vest and a worn old sweater that was too large for her and threw them on. Not glamorous, but she had a hunch Sephiroth wouldn't care. Her scalp felt tight and itchy so she let her hair down. Probably another side effect of the injection, she thought, as she massaged it. She tried to coax it into something more representable, but she had laid on it damp and it just wasn't happening. She shook it up and left it. It was an accurate image of what she felt like anyway. Finally she slipped on some sock slippers and made her way upstairs, looking and feeling, a fright.

Sephiroth clutched the paper bag containing food in-between his teeth as he fumbled about in his pocket for the key card that opened the apartment tower. His other hand was occupied holding a cardboard tray with a big serving of green bubble tea for him and an even larger serving of hazelnut latte for Meia. Finally he freed the key from its holdings and scanned himself in the building. As he rode the elevator up he noticed his stomach was doing strange things again. The 'feeling' was back. He took a steadying breath and focused on the key panel as it ticked through the floors.

12…

..13….

.14..

_I hope she hasn't been waiting for too long…_

….21..

22…

..23……

_She did like hazelnut right? And who didn't like BLT sandwiches…_

27…

28….

29…..

…_..what if she's vegetarian….she ate meat at Howl's summit, I think….._

31

32…

_Oh Gaia….._

Meia looked up as the glass elevator came to a gentle stop. She swore she saw Sephiroth take a deep breath before stepping out. Immediately the delicious scent of a hot creamy latte began to waft up her nostrils and her stomach gave an uncomfortable churn. She didn't realise, through the general feeling of un-wellness, how hungry she was. She smiled as he came closer, her eyes straying disobediently to the coffee cup on the tray in his hand,

"Go on, take it. I can see you're desperate…" Sephiroth said with a small laugh. Meia obliged straight away and took a long sniff, as was her tradition, before swallowing some. She felt better already.

"Thank you, you remembered my favourite, I'm impressed"

"Of course. I'm not just a skilled grunt remember?" He replied, handing her the bag to hold while he fished his card out again. Meia fondly remembered the reference as she watched him swipe his card and key in his pin, turning away from it out of respect. He motioned for her to enter first and she hesitated, before stepping inside. Straight away the small armoury room caught her eye and she couldn't help but stare. _All this stuff…_

"I'll show you that later if you're still interested" Sephiroth said, noticing her rubbernecking.

"Ah, I didn't mean to stare. It's just jealousy, living in a shoebox will do that to a person" She replied flippantly.

"Hmm, yes…I remember the shoeboxes…."

"You used to live in one too?"

"Of course. I wasn't always first class after all. Plus they didn't trust a…young…person in these big apartments"

Meia looked at him, "Young…? I don't-"

Sephiroth met her gaze and gave her a sceptical look, which caused her to stop what she was saying,

"How about we settle down instead of spending our evening conversing in my hallway?" He stated, crossing his arms and taking amusement in her embarrassment. She mumbled something about that being a good idea and took a step up,

"Oh, do you want me to take these off? They are just room slipper sock…things"

"No, they're fine"

She nodded and walked through the hallway. The apartment really was quite impressive and her first impression was of the floor to ceiling window that ran all the way through, marking the outer wall of the place. A balcony was visible through the glass, but it didn't have much in the way of furniture. None at all in fact. Directly opposite the entranceway was the living area; a large cream corner sofa surrounded a glass coffee table with something green under the glass and a large flat screen TV was mounted on the window. Meia looked back at her host,

"Permission to be nosy…?" He smiled and nodded.

She said a quick 'thanks' before venturing forwards with a little more confidence. The place was open plan apart from the entrance. To her immediate left was a sleek wooden set of stairs which led to an elevated bedroom area. She wasn't sure if being nosy was enough to let her explore up there, but Sephiroth brushed past her, telling her not to worry and that nothing in here was considered scandalous. To him anyway. Meia took another swig of her coffee and trod gently up the stairs.

His bed was a sumptuously comfortable looking affair, large and low to the ground with numerous throws, duvets and pillows. It was at least twice the size of hers. She looked at it longingly, her body almost aching to lie down. A big floor to ceiling screening wall, made out of what looked like intertwining wood, shielded the actual bed from below. She admired the taste of the architect, and then felt bitter at the small room she occupied a few floors down. Now Meia understood where the budget went.

She turned around and walked towards what she presumed was the bathroom, the entrance en suite in the left hand wall. She 'ooo'd quietly as she stepped inside. It was a wet room, the place was tiled all over with almost bronze looking mosaic. It, like the area it joined too, was also split level with the shower and bathtub taking up all the lower area and the sink, vanity and mirror on the bedroom level. She couldn't help but nose at the shower and bath. She longed to take a bath somewhere, her shoebox being devoid of one. Stepping down into the lower half she admired the shower, actually built into the ceiling so it cascaded down like rainfall, but the contents of the alcove where toiletries were stored caught her eye.

Finally, she had discovered the source of the odd, pleasant smells that followed Sephiroth about. He had a week's supply of hair care all lined up ready to use in duel bottles; one side containing the shampoo, the other conditioner. She picked one up and peered at the label; Shinra brand no less 'orange blossom' She checked she wasn't being watched and flipped one of the lids and took a sniff, before replacing it, picking up her coffee again and trying to act like nothing had happened.

"I uh…like your bathroom…" She said, descending the stairs and trying to act innocent.

"Hmm, thank you. When I first moved in I thought it was too extravagant. But I soon got used to it"

"I'd kill for a bath like that…" She half muttered. Sephiroth simply looked at her, cocking an eyebrow,

"Come and eat Meia, before it spoils too much" He encouraged, placing the paper bag on the coffee table. She nodded and made her way over, perching daintily on the edge of the soft leather sofa. The green stuff under the table's glass looked like moss…lots of different moss. She peered at it. Come to think of it, his whole apartment was decorated with a green, organic feel. She picked up the bag and noticed he was watching her,

"I hope your planning on relaxing, Meia, I didn't bring you up here for a mission briefing" He told her softly. She looked away sheepishly, before drawing her legs up and sinking right back into the sofa. Ah, it felt so good. So soft and squashy. If she wasn't careful she'd drift off again…

Sephiroth watched her get comfortable; he hoped she wasn't being overwhelmed. She did look terrible, but in a way that made his heart ache for some reason. When he looked at her, his instinct was to comfort, to protect. He had no idea where these instincts were coming from. He was nervous as well, very nervous, but much like her was good at hiding it. He wondered what they were going to talk about…

"BLT?" She asked, bringing him round,

"Yes, I should have asked if you like it now I think about it…"

"Ah, no worries, I do. Just looked like you were zoning out a bit"

He simply laughed and laid back. Zoning out was a problem of his. Once he had a proverbial bee in his bonnet he would become determined to close out most of the world around him and devote his time to whatever was bothering him. When he was younger he actually found reactor mechanics so fascinating he didn't come out of the Shinra data rooms for a week. His teachers thought they would be fired, as a course that was meant to take a good four months to complete he finished in just under one.

"I do that quite a lot I'm afraid" He said finally. Meia acknowledged him through a mouthful of sandwich. He let her finish before he spoke again, flicking through the news channels while he waited.

"How did you find the injection today?" He asked. Meia stopped wiping her mouth with a napkin and thought. How could she describe it? She couldn't…she'd never experienced pain like that before. She picked up her coffee and adjusted her position so she was facing him,

"I really had no idea. I thought the injections were just a myth. Of the few soldiers I did know, all of them told me they just had to bathe in the stuff. I was utterly terrified…" She took a swig of coffee and looked at the lid,

"Well, I'll tell you a secret. Up until now, only the three of Us received injections…" He trailed off as she looked up at him,

"So…why me as well now?" She asked quietly. Sephiroth shook his head,

"Only Hojo knows the answer to that…" He replied, not quite containing the malice he felt towards the man.

"You really don't like him, do you?" She stated quietly. Sephiroth thought a moment, before replying,

"No, I don't. His personality is unsettling, he annoys me with his arrogance and taunts me constantly. Ever since I was a child…." He paused. He didn't want to go down that road, not yet. He didn't want to scare her…

She seemed to realise, "You don't have to…tell me I mean. Not if it's hard for you…"

Sephiroth smiled sadly. She was very good at that, picking up on feelings. Much like Angeal. But he'd known him long enough to know that sometimes, forcing him to talk was the best thing. He sighed,

"Another time then" He decided out loud, Meia nodded.

"You know, I'm still having a hard time believing we met as children" She laughed, finishing her coffee and placing the empty cup on the table, "The probability just seems impossible. Did you know Genesis and Angeal as kids too?"

Sephiroth shook his head, "No. I met them when they joined SOLDIER"

"Really? So…you guys haven't been friends for long?" She was slightly puzzled.

"Oh, we've known each other for quite a while actually…" He trailed off again. He knew where this was heading and he cringed inwardly. He could feel her looking at him…

"I just assumed you all joined at roughly the same time, considering you're all the same rank"

"Not exactly…" He rubbed his neck gently. He could feel it; he was about to divulge what he didn't really tell anyone. Strangely, he only felt mild awkwardness as opposed to anger. What he normally felt if someone tried to pry into his private life. He took this as a good sign. She was still looking at him, so he folded his leg under himself and looked at her,

"They joined SOLDIER when they were in their late teens, eighteen and nineteen to be exact. I was a second at the time…just about to make first. The first…er, first…to be exact"

Now Meia really was confused. How could he be a second so young? He must have joined when he was…"Are you kidding me? You joined SOLDIER when you were about sixteen?"

Sephiroth took a deep breath, "No. at sixteen, I'd been a second for a year" He looked at her, "I started active duty at the age of thirteen…" He finished, looking away. Meia simply stared, before blurting before she could stop herself,

"How old are you _now_?"

"…twenty"

She stared at him. He was two years younger than her. Two years?! She could hardly believe it. And a SOLDIER so young? That seemed borderline cruelty. She had so many questions she couldn't isolate one to ask him. Meia was utterly flabbergasted. Sephiroth, however, was quite enjoying the fluster she was now in, and he laughed inwardly to himself. Angeal and genesis had reacted the same way. Finally, Meia managed to compose herself again,

"You act so mature, so…responsible" She said, her voice tinged with sadness, "You had to grow up so fast…" She watched him react to her last statement, casting his eyes down as if in regret.

"Something like that…" He said finally. Meia scooted a bit closer to him,

"I'm sorry…"

"I thought I asked you to stop saying sorr-"

"No, I mean it. I'm sorry for you. I can see something in you, something that hurts but your hiding. Hiding is fine, I do it too…but you said it yourself, I'm your friend. If you don't want to tell me now I'm fine with that, but don't hide yourself from me. You have no reason to…" She said firmly, almost astonished at her own confidence which seemed to surface all of a sudden.

Sephiroth simply stared, stunned. No one ever spoke to him that forcefully, only Angeal. No one had the guts to speak to him like that, but Meia…she had said exactly the same thing as Angeal did that day…_don't hide yourself from her…_

"I-I just…my past, my childhood… no one will give me answers," It was his turn to drop his guard, "I've tried all my life to find out about myself. How can I get to know someone…when I don't even know myself…?" He said softly, quietly...staring sadly into the moss coffee table.

"So it's easier to simply block all of it out and form a barrier…" Meia understood. All too well. She saw him nod. She scooted closer still, until there was only about a foot separating them,

"Well…you're more than just the sum of your past. You're a human being, just like me…just like Angeal and genesis. You don't have to know who you _were_…to you know who you are _now_, you understand?" And she placed her small hand on his and squeezed. She felt him flinch but then he relaxed and he looked at her, a genuine, slightly sad smile on his face,

"You have a point…" He said gently. Meia withdrew her hand and he felt his heart lurch…,

"You're not alone, always remember that…" She stood up, "If you ever need me, I'll be downstairs in my shoebox or on the other end of my phone. I should go, it's getting late and I have to try and find a way of looking normal for work tomorrow" She placed her hand on his head gently, "Goodnight Sephiroth. Thank you for looking after me" And she gathered up the bag and her coffee cup and let herself out.

He sat there, unmoving, for a good while until something unusual happened; a tear rolled down his cheek and splashed on his forearm. Then another…and another. He bowed his head and sobbed softly, not knowing whether it was sadness, or elation. Sadness from touching a raw part of his past. Or elation that someone dared enough to care about him. He touched a slender finger to the damp trail running down his face and rubbed a tear between his fingertips. And oddly enough, he found himself smiling,

"No…Thank you….." He whispered.


	16. Bonus Chapter The 21st

Ahhh…ok. I wrote this because I was suffering from writers block (dramatic music…) and the best way around WB for me is to keep writing, even if it doesn't make sense xD So!! This is an Omake chapter, if you will. It has nothing to do with progressing the story, it is simply a bit of fun I decided to share~ If you want, you can totally skip this = ) You would be missing out on a few fluffy moments though…

**Bonus chapter – the 21****st**

Sephiroth sighed as he looked at his calendar. Three more days. Three more days of being twenty left until his so called milestone birthday. Except it would probably be the same as the other milestones.

His sixteenth he'd spent on the field in Wutai, and enjoyed a fudge muffin he'd sneaked into his rations. His eighteenth he was in Midgar for, but the only people who really cared how old he was were at the time undergoing assessments on another continent. This time round they were all together, but he didn't really mind if they didn't do anything. Plus he hadn't told Meia that night when his actual birthday was, so unless Genesis and Angeal did, she wouldn't have a clue. He wondered if she'd be mad when she found out…

****

"Are you serious?"

"Uh oh, he hasn't told you? We thought you'd at least ask….you know….on your dat- oof…"

"I think what Genesis means" Angeal began, removing his fist from his friend's kidney area, "is we're surprised that you didn't know when his birthday was. You do know how old he is, don't you?"

"Yea, don't worry about that. So, what do you want to speak to me about?" Meia hopped up onto the conference table. She wondered why all their personal meetings took place there…

"Ah, we just want to get him out his uniform and having fun for a change" Genesis replied from over his worn copy of Loveless.

"So long as you don't bring that book…" She muttered to him, "What did you have in mind?"

Angeal grinned.

****

"Angeal I don't understand. What could possibly be so interesting on the helipad – of all places – that you can't just call me about" Asked a confused and flustered Sephiroth. He was trying to write a report when the older man had shown up at his apartment, claiming to be simply visiting. The next thing he knew, Angeal insisted on dragging him out along with a stuffed gym bag. Something he didn't recall him having on the way in…

"That helicopter. Come on kid…"

"Please don't call me kid Angeal. I only let you get away with it the other night because I was away with the moogles" He stated, firmly. Angeal apologized with a low snigger. Sephiroth was not amused. Once in the helicopter, he was just downright grumpy,

"Ok, clear to take off now" Angeal cheerily informed the pilot. Sephiroth seriously contemplated jumping. He could survive the fall, just about…but his better judgment told him there was a reason for all this. Still, he spent most of the flight in a foul mood. They were heading for Junon and after a while sat in grouchy silence, the distinct form of the newly completed Sister Ray started to become visible from the cliff they were flying parallel too. When they touched down, they were greeted by Genesis, who merrily waved at his two friends. Sephiroth noticed he was in casuals, a bad omen if ever there was one. He turned to Angeal, who was pulling not one, but two gym bags out of the chopper,

"Angeal, what are we doing here? I have that report to finish, plus some other business I nee-" He started, but Genesis joined Angeal and together they rounded on him, arms crossed…and looking dead serious. Sephiroth half spluttered to silence and looked between them, placing his hands on his hips.

"Sephiroth…" Genesis began, "You are going to dump your creaky, frankly borderline fetish uniform in your room here…"

"…and you are going to get on that boat" Angeal pointed past him, down to the harbor, "And spend a few days with your friends. Away from work"

Sephiroth looked down at the boat in the harbor and then back at his two companions. He contemplated arguing. He contemplated making a running dash for the now lifting off helicopter. The boat only lead to two places. Costa Del Sol, or the gold saucer.

"I don't get a say in this, do I?" He said finally, giving in to exasperation. Angeal and Genesis shook their heads. Sephiroth rolled his eyes and stalked off towards the elevator, Genesis going with him to make sure he didn't do a runner.

It was now getting into late evening and Sephiroth had calmed somewhat. Knowing full well that arguing with these two was fighting a losing battle. Besides, he now knew almost for sure this was something they were doing for his birthday. And having got over the initial mood swing of being disturbed and pulled away from his work, he found he was actually grateful. He assumed Lazard knew about it all and they'd cleared it with him.

"I wonder what they'd do if we jumped overboard…" Genesis mused, leaning over the railing and watching the dark sea below. They'd been on the boat since around lunch time, and they would arrive in Costa Del Sol around mid-morning.

"They'd tell you to swim. Or climb back up yourself" Sephiroth answered him.

"I see you're happier now, so you should be! It's not every day your two greatest friends drag you out your room with utterly no explanation…all the way to Junon and force you on a boat" Genesis Exclaimed, now rocking on his stomach over the railing. Sephiroth laughed, and wondered what Meia was doing. He probably should have told her when his birthday was now he thought about it.

*****

"Well, here we are! The fabulous Costa Del Sol where we will be spending three whole, stress free days. Providing nothing drastic happens in which case…we'll be called back" Angeal welcomed the port with open arms. Sephiroth frowned,

"What if I burn?" Was the first thing that sprang to his mind.

"You won't if you use the sunscreen I packed for you" Angeal replied, watching Genesis sneak off unnoticed into the main town, "Besides…you're so white you'd probably reflect most of the rays anyway…"

Sephiroth scowled at him before a cog clicked in his head…"You packed for me? You mean to tell me that yesterday when you …" Sephiroth began but Angeal's laugh cut him off and he frowned at his friend,

"Yes, sorry but I was sneaking around packing things for you. Do you really swim in those tight shorts every night?" He finished, still laughing. Sephiroth pursed his lips and felt a flush appear under his eyes. Angeal picked up his bag and led Sephiroth off the pier, promising to buy him some fun board shorts and ignoring his enquires to Genesis's whereabouts.

They walked into the main town which turned out to be fairly lively. Sephiroth eyed the many fruit stalls set up selling some of his favorite treats, including deliciously sweet sugar pears and tangy, juicy thundermelons. Angeal led them to the main shop, where they set about choosing a pair of board shorts for Sephiroth, who was a little hesitant,

"I don't know Angeal…I don't think I'm the board shorts type…" He remarked while flipping through a railing full. Angeal snorted,

"You're telling me your more comfortable wearing tight shorts…that hide _nothing _…than a nice pair of baggy colourful board shorts?"

"I think it's the colourful part I have a problem with…oh Gaia no, put those back" Sephiroth waved off a pair of pink and brown shorts that Angeal was currently holding up. Eventually he found a pair that he quite liked; sea green with a lime green flower motif blooming from the bottom hem. They matched his eyes, he thought, though why he actually cared he wasn't sure. Angeal paid for them and Sephiroth thanked him, before they headed off up a path that took them deep into the lush mini rainforest that grew about the resort. Eventually a small complex of authentic looking rainforest huts came into view and Angeal explained that they were staying in a cluster some way off the main path. They were nice, well-furnished and sporting comfy looking beds. And best of all, sheltered from the harsh sun. He was puzzled at the presence of four huts, however, but figured they just came that way.

"Why don't you claim that one?" Angeal said, pointing to a hut in the middle, next to one that had its curtains drawn, with a free one on its other side. Angeal smiled as he vanished inside. He didn't seem to spot the other hut, in which Genesis had quickly dumped his bag on the bed in plain sight.

Ten minutes later, he re-emerged sporting his new shorts.

"They look good…dear Minerva…you really are white as a sheet…" Angeal remarked, also in simple navy shorts now. Sephiroth glared at him and threw him the bottle of sunscreen he was holding. Angeal caught it and placed it in the big tote bag he had slung over his shoulder and they set off back to the beach.

As they got closer, the distinct scent of a barbeque drifted in and out of Sephiroth's senses, which prompted his stomach to tell him he was hungry. He held a hand to it as it bubbled at him. They descended the steps that led down to the beach, where Sephiroth stopped. He hated sand between his toes. Sand in his sandals. Sand in general…

"Oh come on…you'll forget about it soon enough" Angeal scolded him.

Sighing, he removed his simple slip-ons and stepped into the fine warm sand and followed his friend as they headed up the beach, away from the dock. After a while the sun loungers and people thinned until the beach was free from them. Only a few remained a little way ahead, along with some parasols and the source of the delightful smell he detected earlier. He got closer and saw a figure crouched, apparently rifling through a large cool box sporting blood red shorts and a smaller, daintier figure wearing a big wide brimmed straw hat wielding a pair of tongs over the barbeque. When they got closer, the crouching figure scooted out of sight behind a windbreaker that was set up. Angeal moved faster now, heading for the same destination. Sephiroth stared after him, puzzled, until the chef manning the barbeque caught his attention. It was a woman. A slender, shapely woman wearing a modest yet…attractive yellow bikini. Her hat shielded her face and he slowed, a flush beginning to creep up his cheeks again. She lifted her head and a familiar smile flashed at him,

"Good to see you, Sephiroth. Sausage?" Meia chirped waving the aforementioned in front of her skewered on a two pronged fork, "I like your shorts" She said, giving them a good look. Sephiroth didn't quite know what to say to this and suddenly, he felt like he wasn't wearing anything at all.

"Thanks…" He said, giving her a half smile and taking the meaty treat from the fork, which she had held out to him.

"You two can come out now, and stop giggling…" He stated in the direction of the windbreak. Angeal popped his head up, along with Genesis,

"Who's giggling? The latter said, "Oh, they are nice shorts…"

"Thanks……"

Angeal handed out four opened cans of beer and lifted his,

"To our friend Sephiroth. May he have a few stress free, work free…FUN…days…"

"And may he actually smile at some point too…." Genesis added as they all bumped cans, which prompted the toast-ee to kick sand over his legs. Meia and Angeal watched as most of the beer in Genesis' can was emptied over Sephiroth's head. The two of them held their breath as he simply stood there, looking drowned and angry, wielding a sausage and glaring at Genesis…

"Oh hey come on…this isn't work, it was ju-" Genesis said, holding his hands up defensively, but before he finished his sentence Sephiroth made a grab for him and held him in a headlock while he passed his can and food to Meia to hold. She, along with Angeal, watched as a wildly protesting Genesis was hoisted over a shoulder and carried to the water line. Where he was hurled in. Meia was impressed with the throw and he crashed into the water with a hefty splash. Sephiroth stalked back up the beach, looking pleased with himself. He took his drink back and they all watched Genesis fight his way to the surface, yelling something they couldn't make out.

"I'll give his landing a one. It was really very poor" Meia said seriously, now happily eating Sephiroth's lunch.

Angeal took over the barbequing from Meia, noting she'd done a fine job so far. She reminded him not to be so hasty to praise. They might yet still keel over from poisoning. Genesis rejoined them and admitted he deserved his watery fate, before helping himself to food. Meia reminded Sephiroth he needed sunscreen, as she noticed his shoulders were starting to turn slightly pink. She also remarked that he was incredibly pale. He just shook his head and laughed softly; re-assuring her he'd eat under a parasol and put it on when he was done. And washed the beer out of his hair, he was beginning to smell particularly pungent.

"Makes a change from apple…or orange blossom…" She said quietly. He looked at her,

"Oooh, I see. Now I know why you were so long in my bathroom" He looked down his nose at her and raised an eyebrow, to which she simply laughed and helped herself to more kebab skewers. Angeal had heard his remark however, so he was forced to explain it, though he left out the slightly more intimate details.

A little while later, the food was all gone. Four soldier stomachs had made light work of it and Meia sat on a towel and watched Sephiroth head out to the water with Angeal to wash his au de beer out.

"So, did you like our surprise?" Angeal asked him once they reached the water. Sephiroth tested it before wading in.

"Of course I did, thank you for bringing me here. I might just take your advice and let my hair down, so to speak" He replied, now waist deep. Angeal sighed,

"That wasn't quite what I was referring to…" He pressed, lunging forwards into the water.

"Yes, I figured as much"

"Well?"

To this, he only smiled before diving under the waves. Angeal watched him; the water was incredibly clear, as he swam to the bottom and drifted along lazily. As with everything he did, Sephiroth could do it longer and more easily than he or Genesis could. Swimming was as easy as running to him, even with tidal currents. He could hold his breath longer too, making any kind of competition between them these few days almost pointless. They would have to think of something else they could have fun doing. Eventually he surfaced, his now clean hair sticking to his face and neck and his pale eyelashes were clumped together with beads of water. Angeal decided not to press the matter as he thought he knew the answer anyway.

They headed in so Sephiroth could apply some much needed sunscreen to himself and he asked Meia for a hand with wringing his hair out. Something he could do perfectly well on his own however…

"Ok so…just wring it?" She asked, hesitating. Try as she might she couldn't stop her eyes from staring at his now glistening, water defined features. His powerful arms. His well-muscled chest…His flat stomach, the gentle protrusion of his hip bones, the V shape that- _stop it Meia, your perving…_ She shook her head and blinked.

"Yes. Are you ok?"

"I uh…sure. Those are just….really nice shorts…" She said sheepishly and moved behind him. She took his soaked hair in her hands and began twisting it gently. Secretly, She would have preferred to touch it dry but this would do for now. She spent a few minutes gently twisting and squeezing the water out of it before throwing it over his shoulder at his request. He handed the sunscreen back to her,

"If you wouldn't mind Miss LeSait…" He said in his professional voice. She stared at the bottle behind him, not quite sure what she should do…

"Come now Meia, I recently recall rubbing yours…" He stated. He had a point. She began to tremble slightly as she popped the cap open and squeezed a generous amount into her palm. Handing the bottle back to him, she took a deep breath and slapped it all between his shoulder blades.

"Oops, I didn't mean to slap you…it was just…slipping…" She babbled. Sephiroth wasn't concerned about that. He was concerned about how cold it was and he had to stop himself gasping. It soon went away as she began to rub it around, noticing at the same time Angeal and Genesis setting off up the beach, saying something about ice-cream. He had begun to notice they had a habit of leaving them alone together. Maybe he should be grateful…

Meia realized she may have squeezed more out than she could handle. With dignity anyway…drips were making their way south by now and she quickly scooped them up before they crossed into the 'danger' zone. She blushed; she had a good view of his backside from here. She focused on the task literally at hand, and managed to get the runaway cream under control. She spent time making sure it was all rubbed in properly, noticing how tight and smooth his skin was with only the odd, slightly paler freckle here and there as blemishes.

"All done!" She exclaimed, rubbing the excess on her forearms. He thanked her and applied the rest himself, noticing she was hiding her face from him as she sat back down on her towel. A corner of his lips curled up in amusement.

The group of friends spent the remainder of the day lying about, none of them really wanting to do anything other than lounge. Genesis actually fell asleep; Angeal was flicking through a cookery magazine with Meia reading it as well next to him. Sephiroth lay next to her. Happily, for a change, relaxing.

He flipped over onto his back, and thought to himself how grateful he was for Angeal's advice. And the fact he followed it. Breaking the ice properly and completely with Meia meant he now saw her almost exactly as he saw Genesis and Angeal and was more comfortable in her presence. He remembered the first day they met properly and he inwardly winced, recalling the punch he nailed her with. Secretly he had been concerned, but he wasn't comfortable showing it. Not yet. He also acknowledged he still felt something more, but he would wait and see what happened between them. Well, until he got confused again. Then he would go back to Angeal.

They woke Genesis up and watched the sky change colour as the sun set to the west, before gathering their things, minus the barbeque and parasols, and making their way back to their accommodation. In the ailing light, small lamps were now illuminating the raised wooden walkway, bathing the surrounding foliage in a soft green light. Meia was in her element. She was so glad they invited her along for Sephiroth's birthday as well. Any opportunity to spend away from Midgar's oppressive atmosphere was time well spent, in her opinion. And the opportunity to spend time with them outside of work she cherished most of all.

As they approached their huts, Sephiroth suddenly clicked as to why the curtains were drawn in the one next to him; it was Meia's. And they didn't want him to realize it before he'd seen her down at the beach. He shook his head, they were good. He heard Angeal give a loud comical 'mwa ha ha' as he disappeared into his own hut to change. He'd get him later.

Sephiroth discovered, after changing into what Angeal had packed him – loose unfitted drawstring trousers and a flowing cotton shirt with a big comfortable neckline – that a fruit basket had been delivered to all four huts while they were out. He was currently negotiating all the sugar pears, thundermelons and canyon grapes away from everyone else.

"So, let me get this straight. You're going to ask Meia for her melons as well?" Genesis asked, seemingly very pleased with his witty joke. Sephiroth jammed a dumbapple in his mouth. He'd pilfered all of Genesis' fruit anyway…Angeal was less co-operative,

"I dunno…sugar pears are mighty tasty…" He said, holding his chin in his hand and frowning. Meia padded softly over from her hut, now wearing a long flowing, brightly coloured sun dress. And, to Sephiroth's surprise and delight, her necklace,

"What's a sugar pear?" She asked innocently. Sephiroth stared at her,

"Have you never seen one before?" He asked. She blinked at him before noticing they were bartering their fruit and hopped off to fetch her own basket,

"Ok so…" She began, wandering back, "I have a few canyon grapes, some pink pear things which I assume are the sugar pears, some dumbapples and quite a few little thundermelons. Oh, and some banana's…but I already ate one… "

"What do you want for the melons…" Sephiroth asked, ignoring the faint sound of amusement coming from Genesis, now happily munching on his dumbapple.

"Hmm…I'll trade you two of my melons for your banana….." She said, dead seriously. Sephiroth caught on that she was in on the joke Genesis had started and he gave her a look,

"How about I dump you in the sea as well…?"

"You wouldn't dare…"

"Wouldn't I?" And he stepped closer to her. Meia felt short all of a sudden…

"Ok…three melons for your bananas…I'm serious! "She quickly added when Sephiroth put his basket down and eyed her waist up. He was rather surprised and pleased that it really was easy to talk with her and have fun. They settled their trade before heading back down to the beach for some dinner by torch light.

A charming beach hut was serving all sorts of local fare, from spicy wraps to whole baked fish. Meia had brought a sugar pear with her, not getting a chance to eat if before they left, and was eyeing it up,

"So, dare I ask again…why is it called a Sugar pear?"

Sephiroth held his hand out for her to pass it to him, to which she feigned its protection,

"I won't eat it, I promise"

She gave him a skeptical look before handing it over. He then used his knife to cut it in half and passed one back to her,

"It's called a sugar pear because…you see in the flesh? Sugar crystals form inside it when it's growing, like sugar cane. They're delicious"

"Ooooh…" Meia cooed, poking the open pear with a finger before taking a small bite. Sephiroth watched the sense of wonder and delight play across her face as she tasted it, presumably for the first time. Then he watched a sad smile appear when she'd swallowed the mouthful and she simply looked at the remains of the half she held in her hand still.

"Meia…are you…?" He began, but she sniffed and hastily wiped her eyes as Genesis and Angeal re-joined them, having ordered the food for the group. He looked at her to which she just gave him a gentle smile.

After they ate, they all ordered drinks and took a stroll down the beach. The night was warm with a gentle breeze. The constant gentle lapping of the water formed a soothing backdrop to their jovial conversation as they walked further and further away from civilization. They eventually stopped and made a fire from driftwood, which wasn't cleared away this far out from the main resort beach. Meia still had her sugar pear, which she'd wrapped up in some napkins and was safely placed in her lap while she sipped her drink, listening to the three soldier's recall memories. She was fascinated, and amused because most of them involved things that she couldn't see any of them doing.

After a while the crescent moon began to rise above the sea line and genesis, along with Angeal, wandered up to the water to get a better look. Which of course left Sephiroth and Meia alone. He watched her, sipping her drink quietly until she noticed his eyes on her,

"This has to be the biggest milknut I've ever seen" She stated, eyeing up the hairy shell of the fruit containing her beverage. Sephiroth smiled before getting up to sit next to her. He wanted to ask her about what happened earlier regarding the pear. She moved her dress out of the way so he wouldn't sit on it.

"Can I ask you something?" He said gently, watching the light from the fire dance across her features and colouring her eyes a fiery yellow.

"Of course you can" She said happily. Sephiroth watched the fire,

"What happened earlier…with the pear?" Meia hesitated for a few moments and stared at the flames, seemingly lost in thought. Eventually, she spoke,

"When I was little…my grandfather gave me some fruit. He said he brought it back from his travels and because it was pink and sweet…it reminded him of me. I didn't know what it was because nothing like that grew near Mideel…but I knew it tasted wonderful" She smiled sadly, "he said that one day, he would take me to where the fruit grew everywhere but…" She cast her eyes down,

"But he passed before he could…" Sephiroth finished for her, now watching the gentle blue glow coming from her necklace. She looked up at him and nodded, a sad smile on her lips,

"But…now I know what the fruit is called and where he got it from. It was a nice memory"

"So long as a memory exists…the person exists. You were lucky to have such a man Meia" Sephiroth said quietly. Meia un-wrapped her pear from the napkins in her lap and passed Sephiroth half,

"It seems…these pears are meant to be the source of good memories..." She sidled ever so slightly closer to him, "Take it, we'll enjoy it together" She smiled at him gently and for a moment, he was captivated by her eyes. He saw so much in them he wanted to look forever. His fingertips lingered on her wrist for the briefest moment as he took the fruit from her and he felt her warmth. Her life. As they enjoyed the pear in silence, a soft bleeping noise disturbed the calm,

"Happy Birthday Sephiroth"


	17. Chapter 16 Breaking Barriers

Back to the story now! Unless you didn't read my remedy for writers block in which case, as you were =3

**Disclaimer – I don't own any Square Enix characters, places or events! This is a work of fan fiction, not for profit.**

**Chapter 16**

Breaking barriers

Planet. Lifestream. Mako. Energy…

Meia was having trouble concentrating. Reactor mechanics were, at best, annoying. She tried to focus, but something bothered her. The reactors sucked out the lifestream, but if the lifestream was the planets blood…what would that do to it? It seemed backwards to her. Why take something you can't replace and find that years down the line…you potentially don't have a home anymore? She'd even raised her hand and asked the exact same question to their instructor. He assured her that there was nothing to fear.

She wasn't convinced.

Then there was the experiments involving mako. She remembered the scientist that defected. What had he meant? Clearly there were things going on at Shinra other than just sucking the planet out of the ground, the injection was evidence of that. She clutched her right shoulder, more out of memory than need. The hole, despite looking angry and sore after the injection, had completely healed in only a few days. What mad man possibly thought that was a good idea? Hojo…she reminded herself. She'd never met the man personally, but she knew enough to not want to. Then there was Sephiroth. Even though she was only half conscious at the time, the rage and hatred emanating from him that day in the hospital was frightening. There was something deep between the two of them but she dare not pry. Not yet.

A sucking snore to her left caught her attention. Zack had nodded off again. She firmly jabbed him in the ribcage, waking the bored teen and causing him to look about in astonishment. She shook her head at him before tuning back in to the lecture. Reactor mechanics. Dull.

Towards the end of the lesson however a small messenger entered the auditorium and headed straight for their instructor, exchanging quiet words with him. Then he nodded and pointed straight at her. Meia sat up, thinking she got spotted waking Zack up yet again. But the young man jogged quickly up the steps to her row and handed her a small envelope containing a note. She thanked him quietly and he left under the watchful eyes of the whole class.

Meia stared at the note, aware that quite a few people were watching her. She glanced around nervously before opening it in her lap, where it was relatively shielded from everyone. Except Zack,

_Meia_

_Come to the briefing room after your lecture please._

_I have arranged for your usual materia lectures to _

_Be replaced with personal training sessions from now_

_on until further notice._

_Sephiroth_

Zack snatched the note from her and read it closely, before staring at her and mouthing '_you've got to be kidding?!' _ Meia took the note back, before shrugging.

Once the class was dismissed however, Zack was back to his usual vocal self,

"Do you know how lucky you are?! That guy is a hero!" He said excitedly.

"Yea…I guess he is" Meia replied almost nonchalantly.

"I mean…" Zack carried on as if he's never heard her, "I've heard that SOLDIER's can take people as apprentices of sorts, but your only a third and he's so famous and-"

"Zack, I really have to get going. I've got to get back into the main building and up to the 49th floor in seven minutes. I'm sure being late wouldn't go down well…"

"Oh! Sure…hey, good luck!!!" Zack called to her as she marched away from him.

Sephiroth sat in the briefing room, just finishing up reading mail from Genesis and Angeal. They were currently assigned on a mission without him and from what he was reading, he was glad. He closed his notebook laptop and stood up. 10:28…ten minutes was more than enough time to get to him from the lecture halls. He also reminded himself he was an instructor for the next two hours. Not a friend.

Still, he didn't have to worry as Meia turned up a minute later, looking slightly harassed,

"I'm sorry…I would have been here sooner but everyone wanted to use the lift…"

Sephiroth watched her, amusement playing over his features, before motioning for her to follow him. He led her to the training room, where he fiddled with the settings in the control section. Meia watched as the room transformed into a simple black area, much like the combat program. But various targets and measurement lines were faintly illuminated on the walls, floor and ceiling. Lastly, the windows of the control room were blacked out before the program stated it was ready.

"Why have you tinted the windows?" Meia asked.

"So we don't unwittingly blind anyone who happens to walk in during your lessons" Sephiroth answered her simply and passed her a pair of tinted glasses,

"So we don't unwittingly blind ourselves" He explained with a small smile. Meia took them and put them on after he did the same.

Sephiroth had picked up a slim metal case as walked in, which he then placed on a simple black pedestal,

"Before we start Meia…" He began, the door hissing shut behind her and fading into the illusion of the room, "Remember in here I'm your instructor first, your friend second. Understood? I need you to listen to me this time"

"Of course Sir" She stood to attention.

"Besides, even though the room is soundproofed, I wouldn't want anyone to walk in on anything…unprofessional" He added in an undertone. Meia's lip curled up. She understood what he meant.

"You can stand at ease now. Did you use any materia in the Turks?" Meia shook her head. Sephiroth crossed his arms,

"I understand. What I'm going to teach you, you probably won't find in any text books. Much like reading a manual for a gun. They won't prepare you for what actually using them will be like. Materia is much the same" He turned and opened the case and invited her to step closer. Inside was four rows of materia; two rows on the bottom held small, marble sized orbs while the two rows on the top held much larger samples,

"I assume you know why they are different sizes?"

Meia nodded, "The large ones are more advanced, grown by their user most likely" She explained.

"Very good. This is some of my materia, Meia. I'll teach you to use mine first and then we can work on your own set" He stated, picking up one of the large green orbs and sinking it into his forearm.

"From what I've heard, you try too hard to use materia. Something everyone does at first. I'm going to teach you how to use it with virtually no effort. This isn't something your instructors can do; they simply can't dedicate the one on one time to go through it with each of you"

"So…may I ask why you're teaching me?"

"Save that for afterwards please Meia" He scolded her gently. "We'll start with something that can't cause too much harm for a beginner…" He said, walking towards the centre of the room and beckoned her over to him with a quick flick of his finger. She obeyed and stood before him, Trying to ignore how alluring the gesture was,

"Try and hit me Meia. Anywhere is fine" He instructed her with a slight smirk on his lips. Meia nodded, hesitated, and aimed a punch straight at his solar plexus. Just as she expected to connect, a strange feeling met her fist instead. Like she struck a cool gel pad instead of His body, which instantly halted her assault. She withdrew her hand and rubbed her wrist,

"Barrier, sir?" She volunteered. Sephiroth nodded,

"Barrier will stop and absorb anything physical that comes into contact with it, with varying results depending on the user and the materia's maturity" He told her, extracting the green orb again and handing it to Meia. She looked at it fondly before sinking it into her own arm. The difference between it and normal materia was instantly discernable. She actually felt the throb of power emanating from her forearm where it was now embedded. Sephiroth let her get used to it for a moment, before he started to circle her,

"Now you're going to use it…to stop me" His voice was calm and dead serious. Meia looked over her shoulder at him as he moved behind her,

"Just like that? I-I still don't know how to use it properly…" She stammered. Sephiroth was in front of her again, wearing a look of amusement. Without warning, he drew his left hand back and into a fist, his leather coat creaking as his muscles tightened in preparation to deliver a punch. Meia yelped ever so slightly and brought her hands up to defend herself. Even though she felt the materia react a little she still felt the puff of air that was traveling in front of his fist as it was driven towards her face and she hoped it would stop him. Moment later she felt not a solid punch, but a gentle, firm, poke to her forehead. She opened her eyes and stared down his left arm, all the way up to his bemused face,

"Any barrier you did manage to erect instantly fell as you lost focus and panicked…" He advised her softly. Meia was half furious; half relieved, and batted his finger away from her head,

"How am I meant to form a barrier when you do that? I had no warning!" She said heatedly. Sephiroth looked down his nose,

"Real life won't give you any warnings Meia. By the end of this I expect you to be able to defend against an attack like that, preferably with a punch attached" He stated firmly. Meia looked away and chewed her bottom lip. He had a point, of course he did.

For the next thirty minutes, Sephiroth calmly and patiently taught her how to feel the materia. Not to use it…

"…Feel it" He coached her gently. Currently they were holding their left hands up to each other's, palms pressed firmly together. Meia stared at her smaller hand contained in his and shook off her distraction yet again. It was no use; she couldn't feel anything except the slight pressure of him pushing back. She dropped her hand in frustration,

"I can't do it, I can't feel anything…" She told him. Sephiroth pursed his lips and moved to retrieve something from the pedestal, before joining her again. He carefully removed her glasses and hooked them on one of the metal loops on the front of his coat. The he circled around her again and stood close, slipping a soft silk blindfold over her eyes and tying it firmly,

"Can you see anything?" He asked her. She shook her head,

"Not a thing…."

"Good. We'll remove as many sensory barriers as we can to help you. I assure you; once you get it you won't forget how to do it ever again"

Meia felt him move in front of her again and grasp her left hand, where he peeled her glove off and asked her to hold her hand up again and start from the beginning. He instructed her to feel the materia in her forearm, something which was relatively easy due to its power. Then he pressed his hand against hers again and told her feel the materia pushing his hand away. At first it was no better than the first time she'd tried. But she found, without her sight to distract her, it was a lot easier to follow his coaching. She even noticed how quiet he was. She had to strain to hear him breathing. Eventually…she pushed his hand away with the Barrier materia. It was only a small separation but she could defiantly feel it. And like he promised, once she'd done it, she found she could do it again and again.

"Very good, Meia. Take a five minute break" He praised her and removed her blindfold. She saluted and went to get a drink of water. Sephiroth sighed. She wasn't terrible, but she wasn't good either. He found her easier to coach once she was blindfolded and he half toyed with the idea of making her wear it all the time. Still, she'd made good progress for only an hour's worth of teaching and he had to admit she was easier to coach than most people seemed to be. Just as she was nearly six months ago as a Turk. He wasn't naturally patient with most people he met and under normal circumstances, would have given up by now.

But this wasn't normal, it was Meia. And he'd never coached anyone before her, let alone one-on-one. He'd get used to it. Secretly, any chance to spend time with her he gladly accepted. For some reason he felt better when she was close. He felt calmer, more at peace. He hated to admit it to himself out of guilt. Guilt felt towards Angeal and Genesis. Of course he was fond of them too, but no matter how much he searched, he couldn't find the same feeling from them as he felt from Meia.

At the end of her first training session, Meia was confident in her ability to push Sephiroth's hand away from her own and was thoroughly disappointed when he dismissed her. Still, she had a feeling she wouldn't be as quick a study as he was meaning their lessons would continue for quite a while. She began to walk away but a firm throat-clearing stopped her and she turned. Sephiroth strode up to her and grasped her left hand,

"Where do you think you're going with that, hmm?" He asked her gently, pulling her arm up at the same time. Meia shrugged off her momentary confusion and realised she was happily striding off with his materia still. She watched him extract it and place it back in its case.

"Sorry Sir" She said sheepishly. He smiled at her, confident they were relatively alone,

"Are you heading down for lunch?"

"Yes Sir, I am. Do you want to…join me?"

"Join you? Would that be classed as special treatment?" He pretended to muse. Meia smiled and turned to walk away, Sephiroth following closely.

Meia had the rest of the afternoon free from classes or training so she could afford to relax a little. When they got in the elevator however, Sephiroth didn't select the floor for the canteen. He sent the lift all the way down to the ground floor. Seeing Meia's puzzled look, he explained although it cost a bit more there was a place he wanted to take her. She didn't argue with him. For one she saw it as practically a mini date and two…what else did she have to spend her wages on? Shinra provided her room at no cost, the canteen was cheap and she didn't go out very much. She still had plenty of money left even after her cut in pay. She was paid much more as a Turk…

They emerged into the cool afternoon air of the city. The layer of smog hung over their heads as usual making what should have been a nice spring day feel as gloomy as winter. In a bad way. Sephiroth led them to the residential building, explaining he needed to drop the materia case back in his room.

"Do you mind if I change out of my uniform? The wool they use for the roll necks is…itchy" Meia asked while they rode the glass elevators upwards. Sephiroth seemed to think a moment before nodding,

"Good idea"

They joined each other in the lobby about ten minutes later, and Meia was surprised to see Sephiroth had changed also. When he saw her face, he quickly explained,

"It's getting harder and harder for me to walk about unrecognised. If I take my uniform off, that's eighty percent of my identity removed" He spoke matter of factly, and sounded slightly exasperated. It wasn't a boast, it was a fact. Meia nodded. He looked much more his age now. Sporting fashionably ripped jeans and cream ribbed roll neck finished off with a chocolate brown coat and pastel striped scarf. She loved how it softened his appearance. He was commanding and imposing dressed totally in black. Probably why he did it, now she thought of it. She blinked a few times and snapped out of her thoughts.

They walked side by side to the sector eight train station where they boarded a locomotive to sector two, where Sephiroth assured Meia their destination was. On the train he attracted a few glances but no one bothered them. Once in sector two, Sephiroth led her towards the outer edge of the plate to a sweet side street which was filled with character café's and eateries. There were also bars and odd little curiosity shops. Soft comfortable chairs and sofas were laid out on the sidewalks and the whole place had a wonderfully homey feel to it. It was like its own little district. Then the smell hit her. The delicious smell of freshly ground coffee only better. Sephiroth chuckled as he watched Meia react to it,

"Here we are. I assume you can smell why I brought you here" He said holding the door open to a beautiful looking café. Meia stepped in and observed the menu board,

"There's so many…I've never seen anything like it"

"They get their coffee beans from the Cosmo canyon area apparently. More expensive, but meant to taste better. And they roast in house. Which one would you like?" Sephiroth asked her. Meia looked over the board one more time before making her request to the lady smiling at them from behind the counter.

"You must be the person Sephiroth was talking about the other week, am I right?" She asked while preparing Meia's order. He nodded and explained the lady and her family owned the whole alley and was the place that Genesis, Angeal and himself came too after their mako injections. Food, drink and comfort all in one. With the added bonus of discretion. They could let their hair down without having to worry about press or being harassed by rude members of the public. Meia liked it there already. She received her drink gratefully and sniffed the aroma; it smelt delicious. She took a sip and instantly her entire body seemed to exhale with pleasure. It was the best coffee she'd tasted.

Sephiroth led her outside to the heated seating area and sat down on a worn, old, comfy looking brown leather sofa. Meia sat next to him and curled herself around her coffee cup. Sephiroth's homework had seemingly paid off. He watched her; she almost radiated contentment and for a moment, he longed to pull her close to his body and feel what it was like to be as happy as she was now,

"Do you like it then?" He asked her gently. She looked at him with her bright blue eyes and simply smiled. The smile, he noticed, she reserved for him only. It was her way of saying 'thank you' that words alone couldn't convey. His heart fluttered and he looked away again, the tell-tale warmth of a flush creeping up his face.

Sephiroth then started talking about her materia training, confirming he'd managed to arrange her coaching indefinably. Unless he was called away or on a mission, in which case she was to attend her lectures as normal.

"So, why did you offer to train me personally?" She queried of him. She'd removed her shoes and drawn her legs up on the sofa and was currently sitting so she was facing him. He thought a moment before replying,

"Because Meia, you have potential to be an amazing SOLDIER. And I'm the one who got you in the mess you're in now. I felt it necessary"

"Necessary? You felt guilty you mean…" She pressed. Sephiroth opened his mouth to speak, but he didn't have anything to say so he closed it again.

"Ah…I'm sorry. I shouldn't keep bringing that up in that way" Meia sighed. She knew, despite his calm demeanour, he kept his feelings under lock and key. Bringing up his decision like that only caused more emotion to be squeezed into the already full bottle.

"It doesn't matter. I'm just glad…" His voice softened, "…that you don't hate me for it" This was the first time he'd finished a particularly emotional sentence with what he was actually thinking. Rather than just a fob-off. He looked at her; his usually tightly slitted pupils were wider in the dim, fading light of the already dull afternoon. _His eyes are so beautiful…_Meia thought. They stared at each other, lost in their own feelings, for a few moments more before the cheery lady popped her head out and asked if they needed anything, breaking the spell.

What little light there was started fading fast now, and soft lamps flickered to life bathing the seating area in a soft, warm glow. The air started getting colder and Meia clutched her coat close to her, sinking down into the worn leather. They had been talking for a while now, about this and that. Mostly on the topic of materia. Sephiroth was trying to explain that using the stuff was an art and 'feeling' it was a lot easier in the long run. Meia remarked that she hoped he knew what he was getting himself into. He simply laughed and said it would take as long as it took. This made her smile. Sephiroth's phone then rang and he flicked it open,

"Hello Genesis…you're back already? Of course not….no…Calcifur's Den. Meia…ok" And he hung up.

"Everything alright?" Meia asked, zipping her coat up. Sephiroth frowned,

"Genesis is home early…without Angeal…" He said slowly.

"You don't sound thrilled with that…" Meia stated. Sephiroth looked at her,

"He may have had an 'episode'" He said quietly, and explained when Meia gave him a quizzical look, "Genesis can…be rather strong headed at times. Those two have known each other since childhood but they still have the odd falling out" He rubbed the back of his head slowly, "He's on his way here now"

Meia pursed her lips, "Maybe I should go then, I need to take a swim anyway"

Sephiroth had to fight to contain his look of disappointment, and managed to pass it off as concern and worry. Meia slipped her shoes on and stood up,

"Thank you for bringing me here. It was a lovely surprise" She smiled down at him, "Good luck with Genesis"

Sephiroth watched her walk away and re-join the now rush hour crowd. He sighed and couldn't help but feel a twinge of resentment towards Genesis. He quickly told himself that wasn't fair though. There would be plenty of time to spend with Meia. Besides, now he thought about it, he didn't dare refuse Genesis an audience, he would be in a bad enough mood as it was. Sephiroth shivered; he felt cold all of a sudden. Cold and exposed…

_Sephi…roth…._

He blinked. Was he hearing things? He thought he only heard voices in his dreams…lingering between sleep and consciousness. Not out in the open…He frowned and looked about. There was no one else with him. He tucked his chin into his scarf and waited for Genesis, part of him longing for the comfort only one person seemed too able to bring him.


	18. Chapter 17 Target Practice

Been a while for this one, sorry! But I've been struggling with the upcoming direction and re-writing it a lot u__u gya! And a reveiw that could be classed as nasty was left on my Inuyasha fic which dented my confidence somewhat T__T; But i'm over that now (hopefully!) plus I've churned out a few paintings in the past week, which are both up on my DA page. Link can be found in my profile (shameless self promotion fail)

So hopefully i'm back on track now.

Also want to say thank you to the people who watch, read, reveiw and follow this story. And to Gismo, who has left me a few reveiws :)

**I do not own Sephiroth or any original canon content. They are property of Square Enix! lucky devils....**

**Chapter 17**

**Target practice**

Meia's personal lessons continued over the next few months uninterrupted. Apparently Shinra was in the process of negotiating a truce of sorts. Officially anyway. Unofficially, small rebel Wutai groups continued to cause problems for the company. Reports even show several gangs running loose in Midgar itself, much to the annoyance of Heidegger, who was meant to be ensuring the city's safety long with the Turks. But the latter was stretched thin, they had suffered several losses and casualties in previous months, meaning the security department had to pick up the slack. And they weren't doing very well.

Meia had just finished group combat studies in the VR room of the training barracks. It was evening now and she was done for the day. She headed for the showers to wash the sweat and, worryingly, blood from her skin and hair.

As she stood under the warm stream of water she recalled why she was bloodied in the first place. Firstly, she reminded herself the blood wasn't hers. It was Tristan's. Meia's combat abilities were getting to the point that none of her fellow Thirds could spar with her. They simply couldn't keep up. For some reason she was getting faster and stronger almost by the day. And this worried her. What was causing such a surge in her abilities? Then there was the incident earlier in her materia lesson…

_49__th__ floor VR room, earlier that same day_

"Are you sure this is safe? Giving me this?" Meia asked her instructor nervously. Sephiroth gave her a gentle laugh,

"You have been making very good progress Meia. What have I told you about having confidence?" He enjoyed scolding her it seemed and she frowned at him. She watched him sink a large dark green orb into her arm. It was his fire materia. She gasped as its power rippled through her arm, spreading throughout her entire body. She bent her empowered limb towards her and flexed her fingers. It was so much she felt as if they would ignite any second,

"Powerful…isn't it?" Sephiroth said quietly as he moved behind her and placed his gloved hands about her waist, "Don't worry too much for now. I'll keep us safe with a magic barrier. Play with it. Feel it. Do what you wish to get used to it"

Meia nodded and after a moment hesitation, tapped into the materia's power. Instantly a white hot ball manifested in the palm of her outstretched hand, the brightness was hard to look at even through her tinted glasses. She felt Sephiroth's fingers twitch on her waist slightly. She began to play with it, cooling it down to relatively normal looking fire. She sent flames dancing around her forearm. She sent them forth to dance in the air before them, ever encouraged by Sephiroth behind her. She felt her nerves disappear gradually as he coached and guided her movements.

Then he gave her a thunder materia to play with, again holding her in case anything went wrong. Unfortunately things had a tendency to do just that in the VR room…

She was in the process of getting used to the new materia when something odd happened. Her senses seemed to tune out, as if they were being shut off with a dimmer switch. The sound of Sephiroth's voice got fainter and fainter. Her eyesight got cloudy and dim. And worryingly, she lost control of the materia…

……_.sephiroth…….SEPHIROTH..!!!_

Sephiroth placed a hand on her shoulder and shook her, but it was no use. She was blacking out. And what was worse was she was blacking out still tapping into the materia she was using. Most people lost the connection when they started to lose consciousness, but for some reason Meia hadn't. And the floodgates were jammed on open. He looked up as a sheet of white began to manifest above them. Dozens of tiny lightning bolts began to hit the ground like arrows and the air became charged. He could feel his lips tingling. He tried to extract the orb from her arm, but extracting materia that was being used was difficult. And given the power surging through Meia now, it was no wonder it wasn't budging.

She began to sway ever so slightly. So she wasn't out yet, but she was zoned so far out she was nearly sleeping awake. Sephiroth had never seen anything like it. Quickly he yanked her close as a bolt of lightning formed and struck the ground in front of her. He looked into her eyes while she was pressed to his chest; they were blank and dilated. He muttered a quick apology to her before swiftly knocking her out cold himself. Luckily, this worked and the connection to the materia was severed. He pulled it out of her arm and set it aside, then laid her on the ground.

As he crouched, he came to the conclusion she had a bout of 'mako fatigue'. Not a very common condition amongst SOLDIER's. In fact, only two people he knew of ever suffered from it. Genesis…and himself. He re-called the voice of that loathsome man….

"_Now then. You may feel tired after using materia too much. Combat too. Until we get the dose of your mako right"_

"_What do you mean…?"_

"_Why do you insist on asking questions, child. If you must know, augmenting your body with mako injections is all well and good. But if we don't give you enough, your body will run out of…fuel…shall we say. Logically if you run out, you need to be injected with more the next time. Obviously as you get older and stronger, the dose will be adjusted…."_

Sephiroth opened his eyes. He didn't want to think what mako fatigue meant for Meia. If her body had used all its reserves…why was she tapping into them so much? She was using way more than a regular SOLDIER should be. He knew everything was connected somehow. He sighed and brushed the hair from her eyes. She would be given a higher dose next time. His heart ached for her. It was hard to see someone he cared for going through this, going through everything he had too.

Eventually Meia's eyes began to open. Sephiroth quickly ceased his actions with her hair. She was out for longer than he felt comfortable with and his eyebrows were furrowed with concern. The first thing Meia noticed was some of Sephiroth's stray hairs standing out from his head and she smiled before she could stop herself. She soon sobered up though as she read his face. Apparently, there was nothing amusing about what had just happened,

"Are you ok sir?" It was so like her to ask if he was alright, rather than herself. He nodded and helped her sit up. She felt drained and tired and her arm…it ached like it was pulled and sore. Sephiroth propped her up against his knee and removed his gloves, before feeling her forehead,

"What happened to me?"

Sephiroth sighed through his nose, "…Mako fatigue I believe" He said soberly and explained it to her. She looked stunned…and scared. Quickly she swallowed down her fears,

"I lost control…? I…didn't know that could happen" She said quietly. Sephiroth looked into her eyes; they were somewhat dimmer than usual,

"Usually it can't. Materia requires the user to mentally call forth its power; usually the connection gets severed as the person loses concentration. But you…for some reason the gate of energy remained open. The power of it was…formidable"

Meia noticed, rather than looking pleased she had shown so much power, he looked concerned. This worried her further. There was something else too…

"Sephiroth…" She began quietly, "I also heard…something. Someone…was calling your name. It was terrifying"

She had his full attention, "My name…?"

"Do you…hear voices at night? Calling to you?" She asked him quietly. He nodded slowly. "I do too, since becoming a SOLDIER. Feint, whispering voices that are never quite there. And if I try to hear them, they go away" Meia looked up at him, "But I've never heard them call any other name than my own before…"

Sephiroth swallowed, "What does the voice sound like?"

"I think it's female, though very distorted…and not quite…human"

Sephiroth licked his lips. Finally, he placed a hand on her head and stroked her hair with his thumb, "Try not to worry about it. I'm sure it's nothing" Meia looked at him, felt his comforting gesture but something was wrong,

"Don't hide from me Sephiroth. I can tell" His cat like eyes flicked down to meet her hard gaze, "I can tell when you do it. I'll wait; I'll wait for as long as you need. But know that you can't hide anything from me. Not anymore"

Sephiroth's expression softened. Finally he lent right in close to her, his lips brushing across her cheek so very faintly, like a feather's kiss, as he came to rest by her ear,

"Not yet…" He whispered "…forgive me Meia" His breath tickled her ear and sent shivers down her body. Then he pulled away and helped her to her feet. She was dazed and confused as she watched him clear away. But she respected him,

"I understand Sephiroth" She said quietly, heading for the exit, "I'll always be here for you…"

He watched her leave and smiled. He wanted to tell her everything, but he was afraid. Afraid of driving her away from him, as he had so many others. There would be a right time, and it certainly wouldn't be on the floor of the VR room.

* * *

Meia realised she'd been washing her left arm now for far too long. She shook her head and sighed sharply. As she rinsed her hair for the last time, the memory of what she did to Tristan surfaced. She hadn't wanted to injure him, but the dull witted boy had a habit of getting in the wrong place at the wrong time. He was probably in the hospital now getting stitches for the nasty gash on his back. Her instructor said it wasn't her fault. But she felt like it was. No one would ever spar with her again. Even Zack, who was usually game for anything, was wary of her now.

Meia turned the shower off and went to dry and change. She wanted to practice more with her materia that Sephiroth had given her. A fresh set, un-used by anyone. And she certainly wanted to be able to control it. Her friend wouldn't always be there protecting her. She felt frustrated. There was nothing worse to her than not being able to do something. Even worse if she needed someone to hold her hand constantly.

So now she headed out of the training barracks and to the main building. To the only VR room she was allowed in without permission. Shinra decided that breaking the barracks training room was less desirable than the one on the 49th floor. Probably just lazy engineers, she thought to herself. The lift pinged and the doors opened, permitting her onto the floor. It was pretty quiet. Usually there was SOLDIER's flitting about or talking but not tonight. Maybe there was something on television worth watching. She hefted her slipping bag back on her shoulder and wandered to the VR room. The light above the door was amber however; Caution to all. Better than red, she concluded. Which meant locked. Or 'warning – highly dangerous'. Meia swiped her key card over the reader and it blipped, allowing her inside.

As she suspected, the room was occupied. Though who by she didn't know. The windows were blacked out. She dropped her bag with a sigh and leant on the consol. Luckily she had some lecture notes to read while she waited, so she pulled her own personal pad and began looking over them.

Twenty minutes had passed and still there was no sign of anyone planning to leave. She contemplated giving up for today and going back to her room. She wondered who was in there though so she tried looking at the monitors. They weren't providing a feed though, they were locked out too. Then she had an idea. She glanced at the opening to the room itself before calling up the room's control panel. Everything was locked out from the terminal, all control was routed to 'remote only' whoever was in there didn't want to be disturbed. Meia hesitated; if she hacked her way around the program and was caught…she'd be in trouble. But it looked like she could access the monitors without disturbing the program itself so she got to work. Her fingers worked furiously to override the lockout before anyone could enter. She only wanted a peek…

Finally she got through and a feed was displayed. She snorted loudly and clapped a hand to her mouth in shock that she'd made such a noise. The sight was amusing though…

_Inside the room…_

"Hop higher Genesis" Angeal demanded. The man clad in red growled, but complied. Sephiroth shook his head as a standard small SOLDIER sword was thrown, by Angeal, at the dumbapple in Genesis's upstretched hand. It struck, though was somewhat off.

"Excuse me a moment, I need the bathroom" He stated. Leaving the others to argue over whom the most accurate in that round was, Sephiroth headed for the door. He rubbed his face with his hand as he stepped through, but out the corner of his eye he saw the control room wasn't empty…

Meia was panicking. No audio meant she only had a moment to realise Sephiroth was heading out and sadly…she didn't have enough time to shut the monitor off. So now, she was doing a bad job of trying to act innocent whilst shielding her transgression. She saw him looking at her and she chewed her bottom lip. Friend or no, she knew she was in for a rough time. He smiled and stepped towards her and Meia's heart sank. Here it came…

"Hello Meia. What are you doing here?" He stopped a few paces away from her. Maybe he wouldn't be able to see what she was hiding…

"I was planning on practicing with my new materia…so…yea…" She gave him a horribly goofy smile. He shot her a look that reeked of suspicion.

"Even after earlier? Do you think that's wise?" He said slowly. Clearly he had cottoned on to the fact she was hiding something. His eyes kept flicking behind her. He raised his chin and looked down his nose,

"What are you up to Meia…?" He said slowly. She looked away from him, her face turning deep red. Sephiroth stepped closer to her and, due to his height, looked right over her shoulder at the screen showing the inner workings of the VR room.

Sephiroth knew he should have been enraged. He knew he should stand her to attention and give her a stern talking too. Instead, all he could think about was how she'd done it. The program wasn't written by them. One of the technicians who actually designed the VR room had written it for them, and others like it, so they could train in peace. Everything was controlled from inside via their handsets.

"I'm…incredibly sorry Sir" Meia offered her apologies to him. Sephiroth sighed. They should have locked the door as well. But the fact remains she had bypassed programming that she wasn't meant too. It was just merciful she'd done it with them in the room, and not someone else.

"Shut them off again please Miss LeSait" He asked her firmly. She nodded and spun round to get to work. Sephiroth stepped back slightly and crossed his arms,

"You know, had anyone else been in there, you would be in serious trouble now, don't you Meia?" He carried on, only more gentle this time. He could tell when she'd learnt her lesson.

"I know. It was stupid of me…"

"Yes it was. You're doing so well, plus you're receiving private lessons. If someone else would have caught you, you could have lost all that" She'd finished shutting off the screens and turned to face him again, guilt painted on her face.

"You must be very careful with that talent of yours Meia" He spoke to her softly, his reprimand over. For the most part, "It could land you in trouble"

Meia knew what he meant. When she joined the Turks she had a choice; admit she had a talent for breaking down programming, or keep it quiet. If she had admitted it, she would have been heavily monitored and restricted in what she could do. However keeping quiet meant if she was caught, the consequences would be dire. She now realised just how stupid something small like what she had just done was.

"I'm so sorry Sephiroth" She whispered.

"Just don't do it again. I'd hate to lose our time together" He said gently, and smiled when she looked at him sheepishly. "Now if you don't mind, I need the bathroom" And he left her counting her blessings in the control room.

Sephiroth stared at his hands while he washed them. He had no idea Meia could do anything like that. Try as he might, his mind couldn't stop thinking about certain restricted files held in certain protected databases. He wondered if she was talented enough to get through them. He pursed his lips in annoyance; how hypocritical of him. He couldn't ask her to help. Not after the earful he'd just given her. He dried his hands with paper towels and headed back out to the VR room.

As he entered, he saw Meia was still waiting patiently for her turn looking through notes.

"Meia, why don't you come in with us. I'm ashamed to say we aren't actually doing anything serious now. We blew off all our steam earlier…we're just…relaxing at the moment"

She looked up at him, "Are you sure I'll be able to concentrate?"

Sephiroth shrugged his shoulder armour, "Depends if you still have your blindfold or not"

Meia nodded and got up. It couldn't hurt.

"Just be wary of flying weapons…"

_Floor 66…_

"What do you mean breached?!"

"I-I'm sorry sir, but there was nothing we could do. I barely escaped here to report the situation to you"

"You should have stopped them or died trying. Get out of my sight, and don't tell anyone where you came from!"

"Yes General Heidegger"

The large bearded man slammed his fist into the desk he was sitting at and he glared at the back of the injured infantry captain. He loathed that he would have to use SOLDIER to contain this situation now. His security department was failing miserably to contain the rebel Wutai troops that were swarming all over the area. And too make matters worse, a group was currently laying siege to Kalm. And his troops had made it worse. He felt a giant headache manifesting as he reached for his phone.

Meia struggled to keep hold of the icy ball in her hands as yet more dumbapple remains collided with the side of her head. She closed her eyes and sighed. Even minding her own business as far away from her three peers as she could get, she was still being showered with sticky apple flesh. Again, she focused on the icy ball in her palm, and in a moment it hissed out of existence, replaced by a fireball of the same size. She carried on cycling through the elements as she had been doing for the past half an hour or so. She could make the transitions effortlessly now. She dismissed the materia and yawned. The watch on her wrist told her it was 20:42. She'd been practicing a while, but she was happy with her progress. Thinking back to when she'd first tried to use materia, she was practically in another league now from what she used to be in.

She sat leaning against a wall and took a break. The three men in the room with her were still playing about it would seem and she watched a perfect dumbapple half spin to a halt not too far away from where she sat. She smiled to herself; only Sephiroth could split the apple perfectly. The other two were the ones responsible for most of the chunks in her hair. She watched him retrieve his sword. It was terrifying watching it fly through the air, like a giant demented javelin. Even more astonishing was the fact that Genesis and Angeal were willing to stand and have it thrown at them. Still, she surmised, this was Sephiroth. She shouldn't really be surprised.

"I think you should be blindfolded from now on. This just isn't fair" Angeal grumbled over crossed arms. Sephiroth tossed his hair in a nonchalant fashion,

"You'd be willing to let me throw this at you completely blind?" He taunted. Genesis tried to backhand him around the head, but Sephiroth deftly stepped forward and avoided it. He stood and watched Genesis and Angeal now. Well, he tried too. Truth be told he was distracted. He kept observing Meia's progress when he could, noting her now sitting on the floor picking the apple from her glossy black hair. His mind drifted to her lesson earlier. Specifically when he'd whispered in her ear. He simply didn't want what he said to be heard by anyone else who may have been in the control room. He certainly didn't mean to touch her cheek with his lips. But when he did…His body stirred at the memory and a shiver made its way up his spine. He was astonished such a tiny gesture could invoke such a reaction from him. And what was more, he liked what he felt.

At that moment a simultaneous ringing filled the training room. Meia looked up and felt her phone ringing in her pocket too. Astonished she fished it out as she stood up from the wall and flipped the top open. It was a message from Lazard ordering her to report to the briefing room immediately. She marched toward the exit,

"You get the message too LeSait?" Genesis asked. She nodded in acknowledgment, "Hmmm…something bad must be up for Lazard to issue a group summons"

The three SOLDIER's made their way to the briefing room, not surprised to find they were the first to arrive, followed closely by Lazard. They all took seats and waited patiently for more members to show up. Lazard seemed satisfied that everyone he wanted was present. Meia noticed only four First classes were there, a few seconds and most of her training group. Including Zack who had sat on the table next to her.

"Good evening Gentlemen. I apologize for the late hour but this really can't be helped" Lazard folded his hands and leant forwards on the table, "A situation has developed in Kalm that SOLDIER needs to intervene with. In the last hour, a decently large group of rebel Wutai troops has taken hostages and laid siege to the entire town" Lazard called up the information on the large screen, as well as the individual screens around the table.

"This is an organised group; they call themselves the Imperial Swords…"

Meia gasped and looked at the screen in shock…

"Sadly we've ran into them before. Terrorism seems to be their goal, indeed this isn't the first time they have attacked Kalm…"

The rest of the words that came out of Lazard's mouth may as well have been silent for Meia. The Imperial Swords. Yes…she remembered all too well. Her eyebrows drew together fiercely as she watched the information on screen.

She swore that at the end of this, _they _would never forget her…

* * *

Erk, psycho mode: on. Please reveiw if you have the time, I appreciate all feedback regarding this fic :)


	19. Chapter 18 Past Pain

Was going to wait a liiil while longer before uploading this, but thought 'hey...what the heck'! Seems a few people were looking forward to it, so I uploaded early :) Thank you soooo much to my regular readers ^,^ I'm so happy to receive the feedback =D

Thank you Gismo1, Aryiaa, Savage & Deathgeoneus for your continued support :)

**I do not own any original characters or canon content. They are all property of Square Enix & this is a work of fandom, not for profit. All I own is Meia.**

**Chapter 18 **

"_Hello little lady…do you live in that town there?"_

"_Yea, I do…why?"_

"_We're not from around here; could you tell us its name?"_

"_Kalm. The town is called Kalm…."_

"…_wonderful. Thank you so much"_

"_My…..pleasure…."_

Sephiroth had noticed the sudden change in demeanor with Meia. He sat opposite her. She was practically a different person. He frowned; she usually wasn't so fierce and this worried him.

"Our goal…" Lazard began, pushing his glasses up his nose, "is to rescue the hostages and contain the terrorists. By whatever means are necessary…"

"So…that means we can use deadly force right?" Zack blurted out suddenly, his hand half in the air. Lazard shook off his momentary shock at Zack's outburst and nodded at the young third class,

"The four First classes will be split into teams of two; one team's focus will be the hostages. The other team will concentrate on the terrorists. Sephiroth, you will lead your team. Angeal, you will lead the other" He turned to Sephiroth, "Unit S, your goal is the terrorists, unit A the hostages. I want this incident contained and wrapped up quickly and efficiently. The security department has been falling short of the mark recently. I want you to seize this opportunity and show the company your worth"

Lazard's rallying statement was met with murmurs of support and approval.

"Angeal, select your fellow First class and then the rest of your men, from second and third equally"

Angeal nodded and selected Callo, the fourth First class SOLDIER in the room, along with his quota of remaining officers. One of them being Zack.

"And Sephiroth, your members please"

Sephiroth actually thought twice about selecting Meia. He looked at her long and hard, noting she wasn't breaking his gaze. It was if she was trying to force him to pick her. Whatever was bothering her…it had hit a nerve. Still, even after consideration he chose her as part of his team. A few SOLDIERs were left out and sat looking depressed.

"Very good. Thirds and seconds, give nothing else other than your very best. I will be assessing your performances" Lazard stated, before carrying on with the briefing.

Little less than an hour later, the two units were being flown out via helicopters to the outskirts of Kalm, and were to make the rest of the way on foot. It was now close to ten at night; all of the SOLDIER's were swallowing fizzing energy tablets and stuffing protein bars in their mouths. They needed to be alert and awake for the mission ahead. Plus they had a fair amount of terrain to cover before they reached the town. They would need all the extra energy they could get. Sephiroth was concerned that Meia might still be suffering from her fatigue and had asked for her materia to be left behind. She silently obliged, storing it away in a secure locker on the 49th floor.

Meia now sat in silence, her head bowed and staring at her feet. She was glad Sephiroth had chosen her, and not Angeal. There was nothing wrong with saving hostages, but every fibre in her body was grateful she would be allowed to take out the terrorists. She only hoped Sephiroth wouldn't get every last one before she had her chance. She glanced at him and found him watching her from the shadows behind the pilot. He knew something was wrong with her. She closed her eyes and focused.

………

"_This just in. It appears a group of terrorists have attacked Kalm. Details are sketchy, but we do know that there has been a large explosion and several properties are engulfed in flames. Eyewitnesses at the scene have told us that a group of men presumed to be Wutaian were seen in the town shortly before the first explosion shook the quiet township…."_

"_No…oh no…"_

"_What's wrong, dear?"_

"_I…I spoke to those men…before I came here to collect this order…I should have told someone!"_

………

"Ok everyone, wake up and listen…"

The sound of Genesis's voice brought Meia out of her thoughts. She sat up and rubbed her legs while he spoke,

"When we get set down we have to make the rest of the way on foot. The terrorists have stated if any troops are sent in, they'll kill a hostage. We have to get in without being detected. You must be silent, you must not be seen"

Meia had never seen Genesis so serious. It was quite unsettling.

"Once we are in, Unit A will locate and free the hostages while we take out the terrorists. We must wait until they have the hostages' safe before we make a move. We can't risk any being killed, understood?"

A chorus of 'Sir, yes sir!' Sounded through the helicopter. Meia noticed some tension between Sephiroth and Genesis; the latter was barely looking at his commander. Sephiroth stood up,

"Prepare for insertion" He stated firmly. Everyone stood up, donned their helmets and stood ready to file out of the doors. The chopper slowed slightly and descended, before Genesis opened the doors and began motioning people out. Sephiroth went first without hesitation, the seconds took a quick glance before jumping and the thirds noticeably hesitated. Meia pushed passed them and leapt out. She'd jumped from many a helicopter before in the Turks, though given they were lower to the ground. She landed firmly and stood up. For the first time, she was thrilled with her enhanced body. That jump had been nothing to her. She looked around for Sephiroth. She knew the only way she'd get any chance at the Wutai on her own was to keep up with him. She found him some way in front, crouched low and probably looking over the terrain through the thin night vision glasses he had on. She moved silently beside him,

"LeSait…" He began quietly under his breath "Something is bothering you, I can tell. I don't have time to ask you about it but let me tell you this; don't allow whatever it is cloud your judgment. Concentrate. Don't let yourself down"

"Yes sir, I understand" She said calmly.

Thirty minutes later and the two teams had reached the outer perimeter of the town. The group blended into the landscape silently while the firsts surveyed the terrain. Sephiroth discovered that, as predicted, there were guards protecting the town. The concept was simple; eliminate them before they get a chance to give them away.

The senior SOLDIER's moved quickly and were upon the perimeter guards before they knew what was happening to them. They were all taken care of fast, including one who tried to run but Sephiroth had seen him and the hapless guard didn't get very far at all. All the lower rank SOLDIER's watched in awe. Angeal posted three of his team to act as their own perimeter guard while the rest went on ahead.

As she approached the dark outer walls of the town, Meia had to fight to hold back her emotions, her memories. _Keep up with Sephiroth _she told herself over and over in an effort to focus herself. She couldn't afford to lose concentration.

Sephiroth and Genesis brought them all to a halt several hundred meters away from the towering outer wall of Kalm,

"There are guards on the walls too. It will be very difficult to kill them all without giving ourselves away…" Sephiroth breathed quietly. Genesis frowned,

"If we rush up the access tunnels in the walls, we can kill them quickly…" He stated. Sephiroth shook his head,

"It's too risky. If we try to approach the wall, from where they are there is a chance we'll be spotted…Plus there is the danger that someone will hear us" He murmured quietly.

Luckily, the Firsts had thought this through. Even though it was rare for them, SOLDIER's could if needed resort to firearms…

"LeSait," Angeal said firmly, "Come here and lend us a hand. We could do with a keen eye on this one"

Meia nodded and approached, taking a large heavy case from him and setting it down. It was a sniper rifle of course and she quickly and skilfully assembled it, noting Sephiroth was doing the same. She'd never seen him use a gun before. His face in the dull moonlight was borderline loathing. It was as if the weapon was coated in some disgusting substance that he didn't want on his gloves. Meia removed her helmet and donned a pair of night vision glasses and crouched ready with her rifle, awaiting instructions.

"Meia, take out the two on the left. I will take care of the rest" Sephiroth instructed her after a moment. She nodded and came up beside him. As she drew her rifle up, she was astonished to feel it now weighed nothing at all. As if it was made of plastic. Before, although she could handle them, she would have struggled without a rest or taken the shot lying down. Now she stood tall next to her friend, taking aim and awaiting his order. It was given in a barely there whisper and she made both shots cleanly, as did Sephiroth, who immediately placed his rifle on the ground when he was finished. A second hurried to dis-assemble the weapons while the two groups moved ahead.

Once on the wall, the carnage in the town was apparent. Vehicles and market stalls lay overturned; produce was strewn all over the streets. Signs of struggle and resistance were everywhere. There were several enemy patrols in the main square with more visible in back alleys and side streets. It was decided that the thirds, led by the seconds, would be dispatched to eliminate the patrols in the side streets while the firsts attempted to locate the hostages and the enemy commander.

Meia had to bite her tongue when the order was given. If they found the commanders before the patrols had been taken care of, it was highly likely that she wouldn't get her chance. She cast a sideways glance at her friend but he was too focused to notice. Reluctantly she followed her temporary second class leader and disappeared into the shadows.

Sephiroth and Angeal, meanwhile, had a mini revolt on their hands…

"That's absurd Genesis. Our orders are clear; you can't act until the hostages are safe!" Angeal hissed under his breath. Genesis fixed his old friend with a glare,

"I'm telling you if you let me go off alone I can locate and kill the commander quickly and the hostages won't be IN danger!"

"And what if the enemy has half a brain? What if they panic? Are you willing to risk their lives just to satisfy your own ego?"

"How dare yo-"

"Silence, both of you!" Sephiroth said in a low growl, "We will stick to orders Genesis, that's final. Angeal, take Callo and look for the civilians. Genesis and I will look for the commander" He finished, giving Genesis a look that was plain; Argue with me and you'll regret it. Both men nodded and Angeal took of silently, Callo in tow.

"You need to get past this Genesis…" Sephiroth said quietly, "We have an objective to complete"

"Whatever you say, Hero…" The sarcasm was dripping from Genesis's statement as he slipped into the shadows. Sephiroth clenched his jaw and silently followed.

* * *

Meia wiped her blood soaked blade on the uniform of the man she'd just killed. In the moonlight, his face was etched with a look of shock, a dribble of blood oozing from his mouth. She looked at him in disgust. The Imperial Blades. She would kill all of them. Quickly she took off in the shadows of the alley, she was certain she caught movement further ahead. The small tanto held in her hand glinted as it caught the light. She shouldn't be using it; by all rights she should be using the clumsy SOLDIER issue sword. But she found it hindered her. Meia had discovered in the months since her promotion that she was much faster and more nimble than the bulky swords allowed. Her skills were hindered by such cumbersome weapons. So she had taken to carrying a small simple blade with her. It was proving a worthwhile decision so far.

Sephiroth cursed under his breath. Genesis had managed to slip off somewhere without him. He would have to find him again before he continued and that would be difficult. He wasn't answering his phone either…The tall man strode down a side street, noticing the bodies strewn everywhere. The seconds and thirds were doing their jobs at least. Though he noticed the killing wounds were small and discrete on some of the bodies which indicated they weren't killed with a standard SOLDEIR blade…A series of vibrations interrupted his train of thought and he pulled his phone from the inside of his coat,

"Hey, we've located the hostages. They have the whole town in here…were securing now"

"Let me know how it goes" Sephiroth replied and hung up.

Footsteps behind him made him sink into the shadows. A moment later the form of Meia appeared, tanto in hand. Apparently she had spotted him because she was heading right for his position,

"Sir, units report that all ground patrols have been neutralised" She spoke quietly, saluting. Sephiroth nodded, noticing the amount of blood on her uniform,

"Why aren't you with your commander, SOLDIER?"

"We were separated Sir" She concealed the fact that the separation was intentional on her part. Sephiroth was too worked up to notice her deception.

He nodded and began walking again; Meia quickly fell into place behind him. After a few steps she cleared her throat gently,

"Sir…I realise this is asking a lot but I would like to accompany you"

"Why?"

"You're looking for the commander, aren't you?"

"Yes. I ask again, why…"

"I…have a personal reason Sir" She said firmly. Sephiroth stopped and rounded on Meia, surveying her in the moonlight,

"I told you earlier, I don't have the time for this. But since you are here with me I have no choice. At least I know you'll follow orders though…" He added in an undertone and spun round, heading up the street. Meia took note of the foul mood her friend and superior appeared to be in. A short while later Angeal called again. The hostages were safe and as far as he knew, no one was alerted to their presence. So all that was left was the Wutaian commander. Sephiroth told him about Genesis to which he only sighed. Angeal didn't know where he was either. Sephiroth snapped his phone shut and jammed it back in his coat with a huff. Meia watched him; he was really agitated. She didn't know what exactly was going on but she knew whatever Genesis was doing, it wasn't helping the situation…

"Come Meia. Now we know the towns' people are safe we can move out. Let your leader know and instruct him to stand by" Sephiroth instructed her. She nodded and obeyed him.

……

"_From Kalm? I sympathise. That must have been very difficult for you…very well; your application has been approved. You are hereby assigned the rank of Junior at the Department of Administrative research. Welcome aboard Miss LeSait"_

"_Thank you Sir"_

…_.._

Meia blinked. She was staring at the tail of Sephiroth's coat in front of her. She chastised herself. She couldn't afford to zone out, not here. Not now. Suddenly he stopped and she followed suit, listening. She couldn't hear anything but without a word Sephiroth took off at a run, down a dark side street towards the outer wall. Meia rushed to keep up. He was fast, but so was she now and she kept the tall man in her sights…

"Meia, look out…" He called back to her. She instinctively dropped to the floor and rolled as a large shurinken grazed the top of her head. Meia ripped her helmet off in frustration. She didn't see the thing until the last minute. The bucket limited her vision, she was better off without it. She got to her feet and saw a shadowy bulk lifting itself up the stairs leading to the top of the outer wall. She caught up with Sephiroth, who was watching it,

"I think that's our boss…but…" He trailed off, lost in his own thoughts, "Come on. We need to end this" He addressed Meia, before sprinting off again.

Their target noticed it was still being chased. By Shinra's best no less. And a small figure, who seemed familiar…The Wutaian man cursed and disappeared down a tunnel that led outside the wall. Maybe he could outrun them.

Meia leapt into the tunnel after Sephiroth, who was moving so effortlessly and gracefully he seemed to be flying. She certainly couldn't hear any hint of exhaustion from him. No sound left his lips at all. They descended the stairwell fast and soon were out in the open again outside the town. Meia could see their quarry up ahead in the dim light, but something wasn't quite right with them. It was moving fast, a little too fast for a human. The first thing that came to mind was another defector, but as they got closer they realised that this creature wasn't quite human. It stopped suddenly and turned to face them, its chest heaving with excursion,

"So…it would seem I'm not as fast…as I thought I was" He panted, for it did seem male at least. Both SOLDIER's drew to a halt some way in front of him. Meia could see now the man was once human, but for some reason his legs and right arm were grossly enlarged. As if he was the result of some experiment. Veins were popping all over his afflicted limbs and his eyes bulged with the exertion of running. He was hideous.

Those bulging eyes fixed on Meia's face and a click of recognition seemed to go off in the man's head,

"Ohh…if it isn't you…I remember you" He heaved, "Yes..yes! Tell me girl, how is your mother?" He spat. Meia clenched her teeth in fury and drew her Tanto,

"You scumbag…" She hissed. Her knuckles were white from gripping her weapon so tightly. She recognized him now. Of course she did…this is why she'd kept up with Sephiroth. Why she'd separated from her commander and deceived him. She hoped that this man would be in charge of the terrorists. She wanted her revenge, and this time he wouldn't get away.

"That didn't answer my question. How is she? I'm sure she's missing her beloved little girl" The venom and sarcasm that coated his last sentence was almost tangible.

"Oh…that's right..." He carried on, "She'll never see anyone ever again, thanks to you…will she Meia…The silly bitch should have just given you to us. How does it feel? To be responsible for all their deaths?"

"Shut up!" Meia roared. Sephiroth, alarmed at this revelation and her sudden change in personality, summoned his sword and made ready to kill the target. But before he could do anything, Meia lunged at him, deftly sidestepping an attack and burying her small blade in the man's side, right up to the guard at the base of the handle. He howled in pain and swiped at her with his over sized arm, seemingly unaffected by the blade buried in his body. Meia was too surprised to react and she was thrown up into the air, before being swatted away like a rag doll. Sephiroth glared at the leering man and brought his sword up,

"Any last words?" He stated. The monster broke out into laughter,

"Cutting down your own kind? You monster…ahahahaha! You SOLDIER's, you're all like me. All of you are freaks, especially you!" He bellowed at Meia, who had staggered to her feet and re-joined her companion, "You…it's quite befitting actually. Now you have become the monster you always were, woman!"

Meia watched as the mad man was silenced by Sephiroth, his head neatly severed from his body. It bounced on the ground with a dull thud, still wearing a maddened expression. The rest of his body followed and crumpled, blood gushing from the now open neck. Sephiroth looked at Meia. Her expression was dark and she was trembling. She looked at the remains in disgust and loathing and clutched her side. She noticed Sephiroth was watching her and she met his gaze. It was as if a fire was burning in her eyes. She coughed slightly and a mouthful of blood bubbled through her lips. Sephiroth caught her before she dropped to the floor and wiped the blood from her chin,

"You'll be alright. Probably just a few broken ribs. And a punctured lung…" He added as an afterthought. She looked at him, and he noticed her eyes were fading again. Mako fatigue still…meaning her body would be slow to mend itself. She'd pushed herself too hard again. She opened her mouth to try and speak but Sephiroth held a finger to her lips and shook his head,

"Whatever it is, whatever happened tonight, you can tell me later" He said gently, "Talking through a perforated lung isn't something I expect you to do…"

Meia couldn't help but crack a small smile before she shut her eyes and tried to ignore the pain.

_2 days later…_

_51__st__ floor – Director Lazard's office_

"Ah, thank you for coming. Zack, isn't it?"

"Yes Sir!" Zack replied happily, snapping to a perfect salute.

"Zack, I've called you here to talk with you. A member of your training group has gone missing" Lazard noticed Zack swallow, his eyes focused on the wall behind him, "I would like you to retrieve them for me"

Zack nodded and looked now at his boss. Lazard tapped a few commands into his terminal and then rotated the screen to show the young SOLDIER in front of him,

"Meia LeSait went missing sometime last night. The nurses attending to her claim that she broke out of her hospital room and disappeared. Has she done anything to indicate any…unstable behavior before, Zack?"

"Absolutely not, Sir. I have noticed in the past month or so her abilities have improved but nothing to show she's gone funny in the head…"

Lazard smiled slightly at Zacks last comment, before lacing his fingers together and resting his chin on them,

"I was planning on sending Sephiroth, but he refused…something about 'special treatment'. So, I'm sending you instead. Hopefully the sight of a friend will be less jarring that a team of infantrymen"

Zack nodded and was sent off a while later, file in hand. He took the lift down to the 49th floor and headed for the lounge area, where he began pouring through the thin document in front of him.

Apparently, a girl fitting Meia's description had been seen hiring a chocobo from a breeder who operated on the outskirts of Midgar. So he would start there. Zack scratched his head roughly; what would cause Meia to run away like this? She always seemed so level headed and composed. Then again, even Zack had noticed a slight…hesitation in her over the last few training sessions. It was as if she was astonished at her own progress and couldn't quite believe it when she was the one beating every singly combatant in her class. Even her materia use was better, rivalling that of Clee's, the only other SOLDIER who could use the stuff properly. Then again, she was receiving private lessons on the subject…

Zack sprang up and headed for the lifts again. He would start with the chocobo dealer.

* * *

"A woman? Yea, course I remember 'er. Was a fright mind you, all… pale and tired looking y'know…?"

Zack nodded, "Cool, so uh…any idea where she went?" The middle aged dealer shrugged,

"Said summink abou' headin' north east I think, towards Kalm. She weren't very chatty though…"

"How long ago was this?"

"Ohh, early. Real early…six in't morning I recon. You're wonderin' where she could've got too eh?" Zack nodded again, "Well, by my reconin' judging by the time an' the speed of the bird, she could have easily made it to Kalm…possibly the meadows an' grassland to the east"

Zack thanked the man and ran off again. He planned to take a chopper out and find her. It was getting on for late afternoon now though…he wondered if he'd be allowed too.

* * *

"_Hand her over and they will leave us alone, don't you see?!"_

"_Of course I see!"_

_A small girl, no older than ten, clung to the leg of her older brother. He reached down and placed a hand on her head protectively,_

"_Don't worry little one, we'll keep you safe…" He said to her, "Mom, you can't do this. Meia is just a child…we never should have come here anyway. We should have stayed in Mideel!"_

"_Shut up…shut up!! All of you!" Screamed Meia's mother. She clapped her hands to her ears and shook her head. Meia started to cry. Ever since her grandfather died, things were all wrong. _

"_Why does…mommy hate me…?" She sniffed. Her brother looked down at her with worry lined eyes. This time, he didn't answer. _

This time, Meia didn't blink the tears from her eyes. Didn't stop them from rolling down her cheeks. Didn't wipe them away... She sat on the cliff face, gazing out to sea, her hired chocobo napping beside her. She huddled down against the high winds, shivering despite the warmth of the evening. Her body felt awful. It felt tired and used and she clutched her shoulder as a lancing pain shot from it. Her stomach growled in protest, but the thought of food was too sickening to think about. She'd already been ill once, bringing up nothing but bile and water. She pursed her lips and swallowed.

She remembered what happened to her. She'd been injured during the night operation a few days ago and flown back to Midgar, where she'd been admitted to hospital with, as Sephiroth accurately diagnosed, broken ribs and a punctured lung. But for some reason, she was told, she was put into an induced coma to recover. When she woke during the night, she felt awful and realized with a jolt, her mako injection had been administered while she was unconscious. The pain she expected in her side wasn't there. Only a dull ache and bruising. By all rights, she shouldn't have been able to breathe properly but she could. Then the memories hit her and she just had to get out, having no desire to be overcome surrounded by people.

Not even Sephiroth.

She wiped at her nose with her hand and thought what a hypocrite she was. She, who would preach to him that they should be open with each other, had run away. But her past, her memories…she understood now it wasn't as simple as chatting over a drink. How could she impose this pain on anyone else? It wasn't fair. She began to cry again, which disturbed her chocobo,

"I'm sorry boy, did I wake you up" She choked, stroking its neck gently. It coo'd at her with a tilted head, blinking its gigantic eyes. Then its head snapped round and the bird got up with a 'wark' and a ruffle of feathers. Meia heard the chopper in the distance; indeed she had heard it before the chocobo. Was that even possible? Her body was starting to surprise her on a daily basis now. She heard it finally set down behind her, the sound of the engine slowing to idle, but she didn't turn.

"Meia? Hey! It is you, we almost gave up for the day! …Are you even listening?"

So, they sent Zack, she thought to herself. She expected Sephiroth, but maybe it was a good thing he hadn't come. Her heart ached though, betraying her true feelings. Zack bounded up behind her, but slowed when he saw her unmoving,

"Hey…I have orders to bring you home, from Lazard. He's worried about you, we all are" Zack said quietly,

"Is that so?"

"Yea…of course it is! Why…would you say that?"

"It's complicated, Zack. I'm not going back. Not yet…"

This alarmed the energetic teen, "But…you have too…I can't go back empty handed, that would count as a fail"

"Then tell them I resisted" She said dryly.

"But-"

"I mean it Zack. I'm not coming. I'm sorry"

"I bet if Sephiroth were here you'd come back…" Zack muttered scratching his head. Meia turned slightly,

"If he were here, I'd have no choice. He would force me if I resisted. Can you force me, Zack? Can you make me come back with you…?" She challenged. Zack backed off a bit,

"I…couldn't. Even if I tried I couldn't. You're too strong now…"

"I'm sorry Zack…"

"Hey. No worries, something is up with you, I can tell. But if you don't wanna come…That's your decision. Just know that they will probably send out more people to come get you…"

"I know…"

"You gonna be ok? It's getting dark…"

"I'll be fine, thank you for asking"

Zack turned to walk away, "Come home soon, Meia…we miss you" He said quietly, before jogging back to the chopper.

Meia closed her eyes and rested her head on her knees while she listened to the helicopter lift off.

_Miss me…huh…_

_....  
_

_Shinra building, 49__th__ floor 21:13_

Genesis paced up and down the briefing room, his arms crossed and wearing a stony expression. Sephiroth sat at the polished table, his elbow propped on its surface and his face resting in his hand. Angeal was currently giving the former a lecture, again, standing with his arms also crossed,

"You could have ruined the entire operation. People could have died, Genesis!"

"I am well aware of that, Angeal. Please, I've already had this from Lazard! Can't you just drop it?"

Angeal shook his head and massaged his temples, "How many times does it take to get it through to you though?"

Genesis stopped his pacing and looked his friend in the eye. Clearly he was adamant he wasn't saying anymore on the subject. Sephiroth sighed. He had decided to leave it as well, being disinterested in bearing a grudge. He had other things to worry about. Let Lazard deal with him, seeing as he was actually capable of handing out punishment. Genesis currently was suspended from operations until Lazard saw fit to re-instate him.

Sephiroth looked up as their director entered the briefing room, followed by Zack, who was looking less than his usual enthusiastic self.

"Good evening gentlemen" Lazard said, still standing, "I'm glad you're all still here…"

Sephiroth looked past him at Zack. He hoped he would have Meia as well, having known where Lazard sent him earlier in the day. But it seems he was unsuccessful…

"Earlier, I sent Zack here to retrieve his classmate. I'm sure you all know who I am talking about..." Lazard continued, "However, he didn't manage it…"

Zack gave a slight, sheepish smile and scratched his head, "I uh…I tried but she didn't want to come. I'm worried about her; she didn't look well at all…" He said soberly.

"I need her back here. If word gets out a SOLDIER member is awol, Heidegger will send a small army of infantry to bring her back. By any means necessary…" Lazard took in everyone's expressions, they all knew exactly what he meant, "I'm talking to the four of you because I know you, more than anyone in SOLDIER, are close to her. Someone needs to bring Miss LeSait back…"

Zack chewed his lip. He knew it wouldn't be him, she'd made that clear. Genesis was scuffing his boot on the floor and Angeal was looking at Sephiroth,

"I'll bring her back…" He said after a moment. The whole room seemed to exhale as the tall man stood up. Lazard took a step towards him,

"Good luck. I'll keep this quiet as much as I can, but please hurry. I don't need to remind you what will happen if anyone other than you finds her first…"

Sephiroth nodded, his expression stoic.

"I'll make sure people think you're out clearing your head, as you've been known to do. Oh, and the prototype Fenrir is ready if you want to take that instead of a chocobo…" Lazard said to him as he passed by. Sephiroth acknowledged him and disappeared out the door.

* * *

Hurr, Sephiroth on a big motorbike....Will he be able to bring her back? We shall see....

Thank you for reading, please Reveiw if you have time. I would really appreciate it :)


	20. Chapter 19 Present Comfort

Been tweaking this one a while, I wanted to make sure I got the mood right...What mood?! I hear you cry. You're just gonna have to read and find out xD Ive also been busy jotting down the future plot direction. I keep having so many idea's, as well as idea's from my reviewers, that I had to get something down or risk loosing them. Then id publish without including them and feel like a bit of a dingus.

As usual I want to thank my regular readers and reviewers :) every time you guys review, I feel so encouraged and excited to hear your feedback. That energy keeps me writing, so i appreciate it ^,^

**I do not own any original characters, places or plot. They are all property of Square enix, and this is a work of fandom and not for profit. All i own is Meia.**

**Chapter 18**

**.....  
**

_Meia….Meia? Why are you crying Meia….are you sad? Are you frightened? Do you hurt? _

_**Of course I'm frightened……**_

_You can make it stop…I can show you how…_

_**Make it stop…? Who are you?**_

_I…am ancient, child. I…am absolute…I have the power; all you need to do is embrace it…_

_**You…you're the same one I hear in my dreams…the one I heard in hospital…**_

_Yeesss…I am She……m….i…._

Meia opened her eyes slowly. It was pitch black. Night time. The moon hadn't risen yet and all around was darkness. Eventually The landscape began to show itself, her eyes taking in the information piece by piece. She shifted her numb legs and wiped at her eyes. She'd been crying in her dream, whatever her dream was. The voice had never spoken to her like that. She'd only heard it call names. Now it was speaking to her, she was disturbed by it even more. It was goading her; trying to take advantage of her weakness…she didn't like it. Meia gave a small wail of despair. It was too much. SOLDIER, mako injections, VR training gone lethal, old memories and disembodies voices speaking to her. She felt like she would burst any moment. Sniffing, she looked around for her hired chocobo and was relieved to find it curled up a little way behind her, sound asleep. The dealer really wasn't lying when he boasted he had the most loyal chocobo's on the continent.

Meia stood up and approached the cliff face slowly, her eyes having adjusted sufficiently to allow her to do so safely. She listened to the sound of the waves crashing beneath her. The soothing, repetitive noise calmed her down a little bit and she breathed deeply. Then she became aware of another sound. A pleasant, ethereal sound…buried beneath the sound of the sea. It sounded like angelic voices, speaking but not quite talking. Maybe there were whales out in the waters tonight…

She'd heard these noises before…when she was little…when she was with her grandparents…

As she wandered back to her chocobo, a low humming sound drifted to her ears on the wind. She stopped and listened. It was getting closer. Her chocobo lifted its head; it could hear it as well now. She placed a hand on its neck to re-assure it and looked along the cliff to the west. A feint beam of light was approaching the cliff face some distance away, she watched it slow and stop. A vehicle of some kind. Meia quickly mounted her chocobo and waited. The beam suddenly turned head on to her position. With a gasp, she rounded her chocobo and urged it away from whatever was now chasing them, hoping an opportunity would present itself to outwit the pursuer. She knew across flat terrain though, the bird would stand no chance. She urged it faster still, managing to keep on top of the chocobo's powerful movement as it tore across the ground. She headed inland, not fancying a sudden unexpected tumble off the cliff.

The rumbling eventually got louder. It was an engine. She glanced over her shoulder and was alarmed to see her pursuer much closer than she would have liked. In the next instant, her chocobo began to slow, before it completely froze and Meia yelped in horror. The stiff form of the bird crashed to the ground, still traveling quite fast. Meia was thrown well clear and landed in a heap in front of it, rolling before coming to a stop. She coughed and rose up on one arm. She could see the poor creature's form, currently on its back completely immobile, silhouetted by the strong headlights that had come to rest behind it. Meia scrambled over to her chocobo. Its eyes were wide and unblinking but it was alive, she could feel a heartbeat. She shrank back as the engine of the vehicle was turned off and the headlights dimmed. A tall figure began walking towards her, removing its gloves, and she clung to her downed mount…

"Don't worry about the bird. It's being affected with stop. It should wear off soon…"

"Sephiroth…"

Meia looked up at him. He looked totally different out of uniform. Especially as he was now. His hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail that was plaited, bound and contained in leather. A pair of clear riding glasses were currently sitting on his brow, glinting dully in the lamplight. She saw the look of concern in his eyes and she struggled to keep her composure. But the chocobo was beginning to stir, coming round from its materia induced paralysis, and it began to kick out. She got up quickly, having no desire to be caught by those gigantic talons. She backed into her friend who placed a hand on her shoulder. The bird lept up, the effects of the stop spell entirely worn off. It opened its beak and screeched angrily at Sephiroth, before scratching at the dirt with its legs. Then, with an angry wark, it turned tail and ran away into the gloom. Meia watched it go. She hoped it could find its way home in the dark.

She felt Sephiroth squeeze her shoulder. Meia bowed her head and took a deep breath,

"Thanks…for scaring off my ride" She said quietly. She had hoped it would sound more flippant than that, but her voice was cracked. And she still felt the effects of her mako injection. Sephiroth said nothing. He placed his other hand on her shoulder and rubbed them gently with his thumbs,

"You're cold…what were you thinking? Running out here like this…" He said gently. Meia began to tremble and shook her head. She couldn't contain it, not this time. She just couldn't…

Sephiroth watched, and felt, as Meia sagged forwards slightly and began to cry. Probably not for the first time today. She was shivering, having come out earlier in the day she was dressed for the hot, muggy weather of Midgar during summertime. Now, her thin spaghetti strap top and loose shorts were doing a poor job of keeping her warm.

"I…I'm sorry. For making you come out here to get me…." She choked. Sephiroth looked up at the stars,

"Something tells me you wanted me to come, Meia"

Meia wiped her nose and hugged herself. He was right. Of course she wanted him. She refused Zack knowing full well Sephiroth would come out after her. She genuinely wanted more time though, and she felt bad for her young friend. But still, there was no denying he was right. She jumped slightly as a heavy coat was draped over her shoulders. She pulled it close as Sephiroth backed away and pulled out his phone. She caught hold of a collar and held it to her nose. It was Sephiroth's leather coat, it smelled just like he did…she pulled it tighter and watched the moon, now showing itself over the horizon.

_Hello? Have you found her?_

"She was right where Zack had left her…"

_Thank goodness. Your bringing her back now I presume…_

Sephiroth looked over at Meia, who had heard what Lazard had said down the phone and was now watching him, "No. I'll bring her back in the morning"

_Sephiroth…do you think that wise? _

"She's in no danger so long as she is with me. Even if Heidegger sends his entire army"

_This is true. Very well, see you in the morning._

"Thank you…" Meia said quietly, watching Sephiroth replace his phone on the inside of his riding leathers,

"You're welcome"

Meia sniffed and sat down on the grass. Sephiroth approached her slowly,

"How are you feeling…?"

"Awful…just…awful" She replied, huddling down into his coat and closing her eyes.

"You look as if you've been injected, have you?"

Meia nodded slightly, "Yea…It was done while I was in hospital apparently. At least I was spared the administration…"

"…and Hojo" Sephiroth added, crossing his arms and staring towards the sea. He wondered whether to ask her about the operation, she seemed quite unstable at the moment. After a moment, he went back to the bike and turned its electronics off. He was actually planning on returning in the morning. A flat battery wouldn't help.

"You look….different…" Meia said suddenly, almost inaudibly, "I like what you've done with your hair…"

Sephiroth turned towards her and laughed softly, "Do you have any idea what would happen if I rode with it loose?"

"Some, I guess…" She looked up at him. He smiled and sat down opposite her, "Thank you…I…was beginning to…" She couldn't finish, she didn't know what to say. She simply buried her face back in his jacket and curled up tighter.

"Meia…what's wrong with you…won't you tell me?"

"And make you miserable as well?" Came her muffled reply, "That wouldn't be fair…"

"This is already affecting me, Meia. Whether I know or not…I still see my friend in a mess in front of me"

"….why do you always make valid points. It's quite infuriating"

"My apologies" He said softly.

"Quite a few things are wrong. Everything…has just taken its toll. I've fought for the past six months to keep myself together. To stay strong and fight through. But…well, it all had to come out sometime"

"I see. I can't blame you, really…but what happened to you on the mission. You changed so much, I was worried…"

After a moment, Meia lifted her head free from its leather sanctuary and took a deep breath,

"What would you like to know?" She said quietly, staring at his boot…not quite bringing herself to make eye contact.

"Why were you so insistent on accompanying me? What happened to you…the change in you as soon as you heard the name of the terrorists was alarming" He asked gently, watching her stare blankly. After a pause, she spoke.

"After my Grandfather died…my family moved. We didn't want too. All the people in Mideel begged my Mother not to move us. But she did…she moved us to Kalm" She paused to adjust her position "After we arrived things just weren't right. People would be wary of us. Wary…of me" Meia looked up at Sephiroth, who was still observing her with unblinking eyes.

"Why would they be wary of you?"

"Who knows? But for some reason, they were. Then, one day, a group of men came to town. I was thirteen. They asked Mom to hand me over to them. Naturally, she refused. But they kept coming, kept visiting…" She trailed off and swallowed "And each time it always took just that little bit more persuasion…to convince my Mother to keep me safe"

Sephiroth absorbed this piece of information. Why would a mother need convincing to protect their child? And if the men were who he assumed them to be, no wonder she wanted to go all out on the Imperial Swords…

"Then, one summer, I left Kalm to make my weekly trip to Midgar, to visit a vendor in the slums. I was eighteen by now…and I met a group of men on the outskirts. I'd never seen them before, but there was just something about them. They asked me what town I had come from. I told them and left…" Her voice cracked a little as she said the next part, "and when I got to Midgar…I…I saw on the news…that terrorists had attacked Kalm. I knew… I knew it was the same men I had run into on my way out…but I didn't tell anyone. Didn't call the authorities, I did nothing…" Meia pursed her lips and appeared to struggle with her thoughts, before shutting her eyes.

"The attack…it wasn't your fault Meia…" Sephiroth tried to console her, but her icy blue eyes met his, tears illuminated by her mako glow spilled over and down her cheeks,

"But it was! It was my fault" She began again, this time more hysterically "I rushed back, by now a security squad had been sent also. As they held me back, I could hear the mad man behind the attack. I could see him on the television cameras…'Hand over the girl!' He said…'Hand her over and all this can end!' He had my brother by the hair, a knife to his throat…he promised he'd kill him if I wasn't handed over. But the troops, they still wouldn't let me go and I watched…watched as he…." Meia began sobbing again, unable to finish her sentence.

Sephiroth closed his eyes, "They killed your brother…" He whispered quietly, which provoked a louder sob to issue from Meia.

"Eventually…eventually they sent a team in but before they could catch the bastard, he fled. He'd killed my entire family, Sephiroth…My brothers, my…my Mother too. I was alone. All of a sudden, in a blink…I was all alone. And I was terrified" She chocked and wiped at her eyes, "So I joined Shinra, the Turks. I feared for my safety, so I wanted to learn to take care of myself. I was too afraid to join SOLDIER…but I hoped that one day, I'd get the chance for revenge as well…"

Sephiroth uncrossed his legs and stretched them out. Meia had joined Shinra for safety. And revenge. Some part of him had trouble believing it. On the outside, she betrayed nothing of the pain she felt. She held it inside of her, locked away. It was cliché, but she simply didn't seem like the kind of girl that would harbour such darkness. No wonder most things frightened her. He looked up, she was crying again, into his jacket. He realised how they were alike; both harboured deep, emotional feelings. Both put up a front to mask all of it. He looked down at the grass he had knotted around his fingers, he'd thought about it before but…the way they'd met, the way they got along. It felt like something deeper than coincidence was at play.

"Can you hear that?" She said quietly, her voice thick with emotion. Sephiroth looked at her, "I thought it might have been whales when I was close to the sea but…I can hear it here now too…"

Sephiroth strained his ears, but all he could hear was the wind. But again, he noticed that with her…that was all he could hear. The wind, the sound of her breathing, her gentle sniffs…it was peaceful. She made it so…

"I can only hear the wind, Meia…" He replied softly. She nodded in acknowledgment,

"It sounds different from before, though. It sounds more…spirited, happier…" She carried on serenely. Sephiroth thought a moment before speaking again,

"Meia, do you know why they wanted you…?"

She shrugged slightly, "I have no idea. I'm not sure I want to know…"

"Hmmm…you said the people of Mideel tried to stop you from leaving…would they know?"

Meia blinked a few times. He had a point. Did they know something she or her Mother didn't? Why would they try and stop them from moving away…?

"Maybe…I should find out, someday…" She said quietly, "But I'd need more freedom"

"The freedom of First class, perhaps…"

Meia snorted softly, "First class…how long would that take" She said sceptically.

"Well, not as long as you'd think. Lazard is currently contemplating putting you forward for the second class promotion assessment…"

"Really…?" Sephiroth nodded at her, "I didn't expect that…" She said quietly.

"Well, if you need help...You know where I am" Sephiroth offered her, smiling. She looked at him and nodded.

Sephiroth looked at the sky. There were still things he was unclear on. Why had the leader of the terrorists called Meia a monster? And what had happened to him…his unnatural mutations. Gradually, more and more of cases like this would come up. Genetic mutation, experiments on living things. People pointing the finger at Shinra…Sephiroth let out a low sigh. Asking would get him nowhere. Everything would be confidential.

Meia watched him, his sigh making her curious, "What's on your mind?" She asked.

"What do you think he meant…when he called you and SOLDIER monsters?" He questioned out loud. Meia paused, before shaking her head,

"I don't know. But we're not anything of the sort"

"Is that so…" He was slightly amused at her stubbornness.

"Yes. Monsters don't laugh or cry. They don't feel love or joy. They don't make friends or…" She looked at him and gave a small smile "…or drive out in the middle of the night looking for their stupid students who decide they don't want to come into work..." This made him laugh,

"They don't, do they…"

"We are human, Sephiroth. No matter what…we are still human"

They looked at each others glowing eyes and nodded. Meia's mouth split into a wide yawn and she covered it with her hand.

"You should get some sleep, you look awful" Sephiroth told her gently, standing up and removing his coat from her back. Meia thought about making a comeback but instead shook her head and laid down, where Sephiroth covered her with his coat again. She was asleep quite fast; seemingly the burden of the past few days had lifted a little. He sat beside her and watched her a while, thinking about what she had told him.

Eventually, and to his surprise, his eyes became heavy. Usually, he wasn't so relaxed out in the open or away from home. But the peace that surrounded them was hard to ignore. This time, he was pleasantly calm. His body yearned to lie down and simply drift away so he did so. Meia's soft breathing beside him only acted as a lullaby and the last thing he remembered was gazing at the stars above.

* * *

Meia blinked and wondered for a moment where she was. Then the ache behind her eyes set in and her memories came back to her. She was still out in the wilderness. A crisp breeze played across her lips and she rubbed at her nose, which was freezing cold. She sat up, noting the large leather jacket that was keeping her warm. Sephiroth…in her dreams again, the voice was calling to her. But again…it was calling for Sephiroth. She rubbed her face. It didn't sound too happy when he wasn't answering…

A soft, nasal sigh made her look down to her right, at the sleeping form of her friend. He was completely sound asleep. She figured he'd be up first, so it was a surprise. His hair was falling loose from its confides on the back of his head and he had a wonderful haphazard look about him. She giggled slightly. He looked so peaceful.

She rose carefully so as not to wake him and stretched. Her joints popped pleasantly and she rubbed her aches away. It was chilly, so she slipped her arms into her donated jacket and pulled it tight. She wandered over to Sephiroth's ride and was quite impressed. It was a very nice, sleek motorbike. She wondered if it was his…white and chrome, with black accents. It certainly suited him. She circled it; 'Fenrir v0' was printed on its side. She smirked; it wouldn't hurt, would it? Casting a glance backwards, she swung her leg over the beastly machine and sat down on it. _I could get used to this…_

Sometime later, it was Sephiroth's turn to wake up. Except he wasn't entirely convinced he was awake. He looked up through hazy eyes and blinked sleepily. He could quite happily roll over and drop off again. _I used to sleep like this…when I was young…_he thought to himself. He brought a hand up to his forehead slowly and rubbed. This defiantly felt more real. So he was awake. Sephiroth sat up slowly and stretched his legs. Aside from a tight scalp caused by his bound hair, he felt fine. Better than fine. He felt perfectly rested and refreshed. Not something that happened often. Usually, when he slept, he would be woken a few times during the night. Dreams, voices…they plagued him, never letting him get a good night's rest. Usually it took utter exhaustion to knock him out like this. So what was different about last night? He closed his eyes and worked his hair free from the bindings he had it in. He rubbed his scalp with his fingertips to restore some feeling, and then he looked around for Meia. She wasn't beside him. He turned around and smirked,

"Playing with toys, Meia?" He said clearly, standing up. Meia jumped at the sound of his voice and stopped fiddling with the controls.

"Ah! You startled me…I guess I am…." She gave him a guilty grin.

"Are you feeling any better?" He asked her.

"I feel less…desperate now. Seems all I needed was someone to listen to me…" She smiled serenely and began running a finger over a chrome trimming on the instruments panel, "I still feel scared…and confused but" She paused and looked at him, "I feel better now some of that burden has been lifted"

Sephiroth cocked his head and smiled slightly. He approached her and placed his hand on her head,

"You have a terrible headache…"

"Mmm, and my eyes feel like swollen thundermelons…" She confessed. Sephiroth sighed and began to heal it for her. She closed her eyes and let him sooth her aches away. She could never admit it to him out of embarrassment, but she did enjoy having her headaches cured by him like this.

"We should get going, before Lazard dies of worry," Sephiroth said quietly, pulling his phone out and turning it on. Straight away several emails arrived, which surprised him somewhat. Since when did Lazard stop trusting him? But upon inspection of the time, it made sense…

"It's…10:23…" He said, astonishment in his voice. Meia, slightly disappointed this distraction interrupted her 'therapy', looked at him,

"Is that so bad?" She said with a yawn and took his phone from him, "What's Lazard want anyway…" She questioned the small device, poking its buttons gently. Sephiroth blinked and removed his hand from Meia's head,

"It's just…unusual…for me to sleep so long"

"You must have been really tired. Or really relaxed, one of the two" She replied, smiling and flicking through Sephiroth's emails. He watched her. Really relaxed was right. He took his phone back and pocketed it, before pulling out a small set of leathers for Meia,

"You don't miss anything, do you…" She mused out loud, letting Sephiroth take his coat back and taking the leathers from him, "Hey…can I drive?"

"Not a chance" He replied with a smile.

* * *

"Professor Hojo, the results are back from the hospital"

"Good, send them to my terminal right away"

"Yes sir"

Hojo's mouth split into a wide leer as he entered his office and sat down, locking the door behind him. A moment later, the hospital report was patched through to him by his colleague and he opened it eagerly.

_Subject – LeSait, Meia_

_Classification – Experiment, #18747_

_The subject is still, so far, showing no signs of rejection from either the J treatment or the S augmentation. Her body has reacted well to the additional dose given together with her mako supplement at the hospital. Indeed, her body healed far faster than that of normal SOLDIER members. Comparative to members of project G._

Hojo was very pleased with these results. Very pleased indeed.

* * *

Despite the so-called 'late hour', Sephiroth had been persuaded to take Meia home the scenic route, rather than the well-used roads that led straight to Midgar. He had called Lazard before they set off and Meia was half amused, half shocked when Sephiroth was given an earful by the director. After offering his apologies, he hung up and took them dead south, to the mountain range where he promised her she'd like it. Meia hung on to Sephiroth's waist as he drove them through a cool mountain tunnel. She didn't even know these roads existed. Sephiroth simply said that he's studied far too many maps in his childhood and that he once came out here looking for hot springs.

She looked out at the vast expanse of treetops below the cliff they were currently on and smiled. It was so easy to forget everything when she was with him. His presence comforted her. Made her feel safe. It had been so long since she had felt truly safe. Ironic, she mused, seeing as meeting Sephiroth was the reason she was now in SOLDIER. But she never blamed him, not anymore. Had it been anyone else accompanying her to the reactor that day, she wasn't sure she'd be here now. And for that, she was truly grateful.

Sephiroth slowed as they approached a large bridge connecting two cliffs. He stopped in the middle and let Meia look at the magnificent waterfall that had gouged a deep gorge in the mountain side. She smiled in delight as some of the spray washed over her face. Sephiroth looked as well, lifting his glasses, which had tinted in the sunlight, and setting them to rest on his head.

"Take a good look Meia. Over the next ridge or so Midgar will become visible. I'm sad to say the landscape begins to degrade after that…" He said, gazing at the waterfalls apex. Meia nodded and dismounted delicately, stretching her slightly cramped muscles. She crossed the bridge and looked at the river as it cut its way down below them. The smell was delicious. Fresh, vibrant and alive,

"Thank you. It's so beautiful. Did you ever find any hot springs?"

Sephiroth dismounted also and joined Meia at the guardrail, "Yes, but they aren't on this side of the mountain I'm afraid"

Meia let out a whine of disappointment, "Aww, too bad..." She looked up at him, "Say…one day, will you take me to them?"

He looked down at her wide blue eyes and couldn't help but smile, "Of course I will. Come on, we should keep going. I need to get you home so we can promote you"

She followed him back to the bike and hopped on behind him, circling his waist instinctively as she busied herself with taking one last look at the waterfall. Suddenly she had an idea, and she reached around and past Sephiroth to turn the engine off again.

"Meia…what are you..?" He questioned her, puzzled by her actions. She waved her hands at him and smiled,

"Quick! Get off; can I borrow your phone?" She asked, brushing a lock of hair from her eyes. Sephiroth dismounted and frowned at her, but handed his phone over none the less,

"Come and stand next to me" She asked while flicking through some settings. He did so, still utterly perplexed by her behavior. Suddenly, she stepped closer to him and leaned in, holding his phone up at arm's length,

"Smile for me and I'll buy you dinner…" She grinned up at him. Unable to stay serious faced with her mischief, he did just that and Meia took advantage immediately, snapping a keepsake of them in front of the waterfall. She sent it to herself and handed his phone back to him. Sephiroth shook his head and chuckled, pocketing the phone and remounting the bike. Again Meia circled his waist automatically, taking her last look at the wonderful scenery below.

Sephiroth hesitated after starting the engine again and smiled to himself; He had discovered another thing he didn't mind her doing, despite him hating it usually. He twisted the throttle gently and the bike powered off the bridge and along the road once more. Then he felt her yawn behind him. His heart jumped as she lay against his back and rested her head between his shoulder blades. She then sighed, her whole body relaxing into him, and gave him a gentle squeeze with her arms.

_So_, Sephiroth thought…_this is what it feels like…to be held by someone you care about._

_

* * *

_Awww. Such a simple gift means so much to him. ^,^

Next chapter - Meia gets promoted and Sephiroth is forced to attend a social event. Which is vastly uncomfortable for the famous SOLDIER, but maybe it won't be all bad...?

Thank you for reading and as usual, Please reveiw if you have a few minutes to spare. I love the feedback~


	21. Chapter 20 A deadly friendship

Ooooh, a long one! I would have had this up sooner, but my partner has been off work with a bad back & I find it very hard to concentrate unless I'm writing in utter seclusion, lol! Again, I went over and over this one as there was a 'mood' I wanted to capture. There was several moods actually u__u Apologies for any errors or what-not but...it IS 01:40 at the moment lol I may have missed some ^^;

As usual, thank you to my regular readers & a big **thank you** to the people who take the time to review and leave me feedback, I love you guys! *sniff*

**I do not own any orginal characters or plot, they are property of Square Enix & this is a work of fandom, not for profit. All i own is Meia**

**Chapter 20**

Bright orange dust stung her eyes and invaded her nostrils as she struggled to see through the vicious sandstorm that was currently ripping over the high cliff top. The currents only got worse as she secured a high tensile dynamic rope to a well rooted tree. _Almost there_. _Only one more objective to complete and I'm clear_. She gave the end of the rope attached to her waist one last tug and left the rest up to good faith. The lone SOLDIER sucked in one last, steadying breath of dusty air before leaping off into a dead sprint. As she approached the cliff face, her heart exploded with a rush of adrenaline and her legs carried her off the precipice. She spread her arms, flying gracefully outwards. She felt free, she felt alive. Performing a mid-air twist, she braced herself for the jolt that would signal the end of her line. It came, accompanied by a forced groan from the SOLDIER and she saw her objective; an access tunnel in the cliff face. The momentum of her fall saw her land on target, the length of rope calculated perfectly.

Meia unhooked herself from the line and cast it aside. She looked back over the cliff; the usual ladder that allowed access to the fair sized hole she was currently standing in was broken. If she had tried using that route, she would have wasted valuable time. She smiled to herself, just the reactor left to fix and her assessment would be over.

….

After arriving home with Sephiroth, it had taken almost a month for Lazard to assess Meia for promotion. Apparently, bypassing ranks wasn't something you usually saw, and he had a lot of paperwork to do before he could give the green light to proceed.

_1 week earlier…_

"This is incredible. I envy her so much…"

"I know Clee, I know. But hey! We should be proud, she's come a long way, ya know?"

"Yea, defiantly…..woah! when do I learn that?" Clee pressed his nose against the glass separating the control space from the live area in the VR room. A bright flash was currently dissipating, having originated from the occupants on the other side of the protective window. Zack dropped his arm after using it to shield his eyes from the light. Even through tinted glasses and the protective shield separating the two areas the flash was blinding,

"How can you look at that stuff?" He asked his small companion, who was still pressed to the glass. Zack watched him jot rushed notes down on his pad before looking up again as a small fireball was deflected, striking the other side of the window not far from where they stood. He stepped a little closer and folded his arms. Materia lectures were cancelled this week due to their instructor being ill. Most of the training group saw this as an opportunity to slack off. But Meia suggested they came with her to the 49th floor to watch her lessons. Something Clee leapt all over as soon as she said it. Zack was merely curious, but he figured that showing willingness to learn, rather than slack off, would look better on his record.

_Let's see how you handle this one…_

Clee almost audibly squeaked at the sound of Sephiroth's voice inside the room. The boy was hanging on everything the First class SOLDIER was doing. It was practically orgasmic to the materia obsessed rookie and he chewed his bottom lip in anticipation…

"Calm down there Clee…you might wet yourself…" Zack started to joke, but soon stalled when an orange glow from inside the room began to get brighter. They saw Sephiroth hold a hand to his face and close his eyes and in the next instant, the entire room was engulfed in fire. The sight was terrifying yet awesome all at once. The fire licked and peeled upwards, pooling like liquid over the ceiling. Maelstroms of pure flames were flowing all around and even the safety glass was beginning to get hot. Clee gasped and pulled away, his mouth agape. Then Sephiroth spread his arms and the flames grew brighter still, the sheer force of the magic was now beginning to tug his hair and coat upwards. Yet his face remained that of pure concentration. More impressive still was Meia. She stood opposite him, staring unblinking into his eyes. Her body was unharmed; she showed no signs of exertion or distress. She simply stood in the midst of the fiery tempest and took it in her stride. Sephiroth let his arms fall and in an instant, the fire was gone. Clee touched the glass gingerly, it was still hot. Hotter than it was when he pulled away…

_Very good. What did you feel?_

_Nothing. I felt nothing…_

_Truly? _

_Yes. Was I meant too?_

_I would have expected your skin to have warmed at least…_

_You intended to harm me?_

_Not to harm, to show. Give me your wrist…impressive. You felt no fear? No panic?_

_Not at all…but…_

_Hmmm?_

Zack watched Meia open her mouth to respond, but she hesitated and looked towards the control room. She removed Sephiroth's hand from her wrist and strode over to the heads up control panel on the safety glass. With a small shrug and smile, she muted the audio and blacked the windows completely, cutting the spectators out…

"But…I can't fear you, Sephiroth. I trust you completely. I know even in the midst of all that, if anything went wrong I wouldn't get hurt" She finally replied, her back still turned.

"I see…" Sephiroth folded his arms loosely about his waist and watched her, "Then perhaps…" He trailed off. Meia, slightly confused, approached him again,

"Perhaps…?" She questioned. Sephiroth shook his head,

"I can't say, Meia. Lazard wouldn't be happy…" He watched her pout in frustration, "Come now. If you trust me, you know there isn't anything to worry about. What I will say is this, though…whatever may happen to you in the next few weeks, I ask for your understanding…"

"Sephiroth…you're scaring me a little, what's with all the ominous doom and gloom?" She laughed nervously,

"Just understand…" He said softly, "That I have your best interests at heart"

…

..

.

Meia's face scrunched up as she felt dirt grinding between her teeth. She probably had sand everywhere and she cursed softly, spitting out a mouthful of saliva and grit. Quickly she made her way deeper into the tunnel, her boots making dull metallic thuds ring out and bounce off the rusting metal walls. This far in, the gloom was unsettling. The dull red glow of the lamps on the walls stretched into the distance, they seemed to go on forever. Still she pressed onwards until finally she saw them stop and a dull green glow marked the other end of the corridor. As she approached, the familiar burning scent of mako invaded her nostrils. She emerged into the main reactor core and looked down over the guard railing. Her heart jolted slightly. The design, the layout…was the same as the reactor on Howl's summit. She peered down into the mako pool several levels below her. This was unsettling, she needed to go to the bottom and inspect the controls at the core.

Meia swallowed thickly and composed herself. This wasn't Howl's summit, this was a different reactor. The past was the past, she told herself, as she descended the ladders and made her way to the bottom. Once there, the control panel was waiting for her over a long gangplank that crossed the mako pool. She hurried, past memories or no, this was still eerie. She didn't like it. She jogged over to the instrument panel and inspected the display. The problem was relatively simple, but she could only restore temporary function according to what was in front of her. Working quickly, she tapped a few commands that would seal a valve deep within the core. She smirked to herself and remembered Sephiroth telling her most things could be fixed by simply turning a valve somewhere, but engineers liked to keep that secret. She looked up as the sound of said valve met her ears, grinding and clunking away somewhere deep beneath her in the bowels of the reactor. Finally, she downloaded the error data onto a small memory stick and stored it away again in her uniform. All she needed to do now was get out and hand it to the team waiting back at the base camp.

Meia turned to head out. This wasn't actually so bad, but somewhere in the back of her mind she knew that this was a little too easy. Why send a SOLDIER in for such a simple job? Granted, the usual access routes were blocked but a team of infantry would be more than enough to accompany a group of engineers. She slowed as she reached the middle of the gangway, her sixth sense tingling somewhere in her stomach. She looked up as a new set of footsteps began to meet her ears, the same metallic clank which meant someone else was approaching her. Through the clouds of mako vapour she could make out a tall figure, striding confidently towards her. A flash of silver, a flutter of leather. Meia exhaled,

"Sephiroth…is it over already?" She questioned as her tension drained away. But he didn't answer her. He simply maintained his approach, his eyes cool and calculating. Meia pursed her lips and started towards him, perhaps he hadn't heard? But that wasn't right. He could hear a pin drop in a busy room…

Suddenly a bright silver flash streaked across her vision, causing her to leap back. He'd swung at her? Maybe this was her last obstacle. _Alright, if it's a test…_Meia drew her SOLDIER sword and stood ready to fight him. She tightened her grip on the hilt; she'd never actually faced him, not properly. She'd only defended for her life against a hologram. Another slash but she summersaulted neatly away. She'd improved since then, her body now perfectly capable of avoiding his advances. Attacking would be another challenge though. She dived under another perfectly aimed attack and slashed with her own weapon. But with a neat twist of his wrist, he flicked his sword in position to block her attack. She gasped as in the same instant he sent her flying backwards with a forceful push of his blade. She stood and looked into his eyes. He was still advancing. Something didn't feel right. He was different…

At the same time Meia was defending herself against the First class SOLDIER, she was being observed. Lazard drummed his fingers against his arm and watched her dodge another attack. He was curious though, she'd given up trying to retaliate. He turned his head towards the companion in the room with him,

"Do you think she's figured it out yet?" He said quietly,

"Yes. She knows something isn't right. She has learned to calm herself and focus. Before she would have been hesitant but now…well, she's simply testing her opponent. Looking for weakness…"

"Even if her opponent is you?"

Sephiroth flicked his hair out of his eyes and took a step towards the glass in front of him, "She needs to learn…"

"Agreed, but…is this the best way? Aren't you afraid this will affect your relationship?"

"I do this because of that relationship. I just…" He stopped himself. He wasn't willing to discuss it with his director. Instead he brought his hand to his face and watched Meia as she tried to find a way to get away from his artificial counterpart. Lazard nodded. He understood Sephiroth was reserved and knew full well his personal feelings weren't up for discussion. The both watched as Meia was engulfed in flames, being on the receiving end of a high level maelstrom summoned by the fake Sephiroth…

Meia easily shielded herself from the fire and strained to look through it. This wasn't her friend. She understood that now. His expression hadn't changed. Aloof confidence. Unshakable pride. This was Sephiroth at his most deadly. Heartless and cruel. This wasn't the side he exposed her too. This was some sort of hologram or training dummy. Worryingly, she knew that this Sephiroth wouldn't hesitate to harm her and keep harming her until she was seriously injured. Or worse… She had to find a way around him. Aside from scaling the core, there was no other way out of the reactor. She deflected another attack, but the force took a chunk out of her standard issue sword. It wouldn't last much longer and then she would be unarmed and almost defenceless. She really didn't want to have to find out this way if her barrier was skilled enough to deflect an all-out assault from the fearsome masamune.

He was creeping ever closer. She would have to do something soon. She looked up and spied a cluster of low hanging cables dangling from another gangplank above. The distance was pretty high but perhaps…Meia had an idea, but it was risky. Still, it was preferable to being forced into a corner by him. It was now or never…

Lazard and Sephiroth stepped closer to the one way glass they were observing behind and watched Meia take off at a run towards her opponent. Before she was within range of the deadly masamune, she hopped up on the railing to her right and leapt with all her strength over him…

"Oh dear…that was a little desperate…" Lazard said through his gloved hand. Although he was the director of the most skilled and brutal fighting force Shinra had to offer, his personality still retained an essence of fragility. Sephiroth's lip simply curled up in amusement,

"Desperate yes. Foolish? Not quite…" He addressed Lazard. In the next instance, he understood what Sephiroth meant. They watched as, predictably, the fake Sephiroth performed a wide upwards swing to meet Meia. But she was ready for it, indeed, she was hoping for it. Deflecting the impact with the flat of her sword, she used the sheer strength of Sephiroth's attack to propel her upwards where she was able to grasp the cables that were now just within her reach. Lazard clapped his gloved hands together in delight and relief. Sephiroth turned away from the glass and spoke over his shoulder,

"We should move upstairs again. We'll lose sight of her very soon" And he made his way to a stairwell at the back of the room they were standing in and began climbing them. Lazard acknowledged and hurried after him.

From the outside, a long panel of blackened, grimy windows extended all the way from the top of the reactor to the lowest floor. To the unknowing eye, they were merely dark, filthy windows to control rooms that were sealed and marked as 'highly dangerous, no admittance without proper clearance'. But in fact they hid high tech control rooms sporting one way glass windows. The reactor Meia had been sent too served a different purpose. An old first generation contraption that was de-commissioned roughly ten years ago. But at Lazard's request, it hadn't been dismantled and was now used as a SOLDIER field training facility.

Only Meia didn't know that. She clung to the thick dirty cables and watched the last remnants of her sword glitter to the floor, the impact shattering it like glass. Then she looked at the expression of her opponent. It was wearing a dark mask of apparent frustration. It turned calmly and began walking to the ladder that would grant it access to the walkway Meia was currently dangling from. She knew Sephiroth carried an arrogance that wouldn't allow him to rush and kill her. As far as it was concerned, she wasn't enough of a threat. He would catch her eventually, whether he ran or walked. She would use that to her advantage.

Securely tangling her legs in the plethora of cables suspending her, Meia unhooked her pauldrons and armour, letting them fall to the ground below. She saw, as she righted herself, the sound had made her opponent stop and turn. She steeled herself; she needed to be as fast as possible to get away from him. She clambered up on to the walkway and looked around for an air vent opening. She knew they were there, she'd seen some as she came in. Finally she spotted one, a level above and some way to her left. Meia sprinted off towards the outer wall, noting the fake Sephiroth had already made it to his ladder and was steadily ascending to her position. She gritted her teeth and ran faster, leaping to the ladder in front of her and climbing furiously. She reached the walkway just as her opponent set his hand on the first rung of the ladder she had just cleared. Seemingly, he had quickened his pace, acknowledging now that she was faster than predicted. She cast a look down and inhaled sharply. There was no time to drop the ladder, he would be in range by the time she'd worked the rusted mechanism loose. She turned and fled again; focusing everything she had to reach the air duct in time.

Sephiroth and Lazard were watching once more, having climbed several levels to keep up with her,

"Very clever," Lazard huffed, slightly out of breath, "She's going the one way she knows the masamune will be handicapped. He won't be able to swing it effectively climbing through the ducts…"

Sephiroth murmured his agreement and crossed his arms. In the next instant, Meia tore straight past the observation window they were behind. She'd reached the duct, which was only a few meters to the right of the room they stood in. But the fake Sephiroth had by now reached the walkway also. The two men watched as she kicked furiously at the vent covering the hole. It was budging, but not fast enough. The ominous sound of footsteps was slowly approaching her. Lazard covered his mouth anxiously again as Meia let out a howl of frustration, still kicking the cover in, ever aware of her opponent closing in. Lazard visibly swallowed as the fake Sephiroth stepped in front of him. His hard, cold stare was terrifying, especially when it flicked sideways to meet the directors blue eyes through the dark glass. Lazard jumped and staggered back slightly. The fake had seen him?

"Don't worry director. He is only programmed to pursue Meia. He sees you, but he won't attack" Sephiroth said calmly. Lazard pushed his glasses up his nose with barely trembling fingers and nodded,

"I…understand. But, how can he see us?"

"Come now, Director, you know my eyesight better than that" Sephiroth replied, a hint of amusement playing into his voice.

With an almighty roar, Meia finally succeeded in kicking in the air vent and dived inside, just in time to avoid the tip of the masamune as it sung its deadly song behind her. She scrambled through the vent, not looking back. Not daring too. She knew he was unable to swing at her in here, but he was still deadly. At least without her armour, she was lighter and slimmer than him. His heavy shoulder pauldrons scraped at the walls of the vent some way behind her. Her plan was working. She risked a glance back, but to her utter horror he was now removing his pauldrons. He was copying her? He even discarded his coat which was tripping him slightly. Her heart sank and her blood ran cold. Most of her advantage was gone. All she could do now was scramble for her life and pray she had enough of a lead and was faster than her pursuer.

She tore round a corner, not caring where she was going. Not caring for the bruises that were manifesting on her knees and hands. She could hear him behind her, stalking her. Hunting her. She was terrified of him all over again. The training room incident kept flashing through her mind. She remembered, curled up in a ball trembling from fear and utter exhaustion. She remembered fearing for her life when that beautiful long sword was raised, ready to crash down on her. Except this time, there would be no rescue. She kept going, round another corner. Her heart leapt. Light! She would make it, she would get out and then she could run again.

But in that same moment of elation, the sickening feeling of a hand clamped around her ankle. His grip was fierce and she kicked out in an effort to dislodge him, but she couldn't even make him falter. She looked back again. Green, cold eyes glowed back at her and a twisted smile. He'd got her. Meia cried out in fear, she had to get away, she had too! She summoned a glistening assault of icy shards and sent them into his face with all the force she could muster. His grip faltered slightly and she managed to launch herself forwards. _Just a little more, just a little!_

She only managed to get a few more feet before he was on her again, but the outside was almost at her fingertips and she struggled onwards. She managed to curl her fingers around the lip of the vent's exit but try as she might, she couldn't pull herself free. He was too strong. A second hand was clamped around her thigh and used to restrain her. _No…no! Why?_ Meia tried to roll but as soon as her shoulder was in the air, His impossibly strong arm had seized it and she was roughly slammed onto her back. Her eyes were wide with panic as Sephiroth drew himself up over her body and pinned her down. His legs were spread and then clamped around her knees, trapping and crushing them together, disabling them temporarily. The pain was nauseating. She tried to claw at his face with her free hand but it was seized and forced to her side. He drew himself up and knelt on both her arms and let his body weight sit on her stomach, halting any further struggling. She kicked and kneed him in the back but it was futile, he shrugged her attacks off like they were nothing. Then as fast as lightning, he clamped his left hand over her mouth and nostrils. He was going to suffocate her. And she couldn't stop him. She tried. She twisted her head furiously. She tried biting him but his glove protected his fingers and her head was pressed down into the cold metal underneath her with sickening strength. She stared at him with widened eyes…_This isn't you _she told herself over and over, _this isn't…my friend. He would never do this to me…never! _His expression was still steadfast as he gazed down at her, like a god handing down divine punishment. He was at once beautiful…and utterly demonic. Meia squeezed her eyes shut, _This…isn't…you…I have to get free, I can't die…I can't!_

Meia managed to free the small tanto she always carried with her from its restraints at her right hip and with no hesitation, plunged it with all her might into Sephiroth's thigh. He visibly winced and removed his hand from her face slightly,

"That had to hurt, you son of a bitch!" Meia yelled through his gloved hand and withdrew the knife. Only to drive it mercilessly into him again and again. Eventually, he was forced to move his heavily bleeding leg away from the danger she was presenting him. But this allowed her to free her right arm where, with a bellow of rage, she slashed him across his bare chest. The fake Sephiroth growled slightly in frustration but now he was unbalanced and Meia was desperate. She hacked at whatever she could as she scrambled from underneath him. Big, heavy droplets of his blood rained down on her, flowing down her right arm as it blossomed from his pale skin. Finally she managed to free herself. She turned again and threw herself out the vent and onto the dusty ground outside. She picked herself up fast and took off at a run again. The pain in her crushed limbs was throbbing but she kept going. Her oxygen starved lungs burned but she ignored them. Her uniform was slick with Sephiroth's blood. But it didn't smell like blood. Indeed, no scent emanated from him at all. She slowed and checked behind her. Her assailant was nowhere in sight. The camp was visible now in the distance so she held a steady pace to reach it.

At the same time, Lazard and the real Sephiroth were also out in the open again and making their way to the camp. Sephiroth marched on, slightly ahead of the director. He was looking at the playback transmitted from the holographic version of himself on a personal pad. He'd never admit it, but he found it almost impossible to watch. He forced himself to observe as his holographic copy tried everything in its power to kill Meia. He clenched his jaw. He was painfully aware of the closeness of their bodies. Trapped in the vent and pressed so close together, she must have been terrified. That was not how he envisioned her first experience of his personal intimacy. He had no idea what action Meia was planning to take to get away from him and his heart sank when she went for the vent. She would be angry at him. Very angry…

"Sephiroth…" Lazard said after clearing his throat, "Why did you allow it to go that far? He could have killed her…"

Sephiroth looked up and fixed his eyes on the camp in the distance, "I needed to see if she had it in her to survive"

"I see. So…this was not just a test for her, but for you as well" The director carried on,

"…"

"You needed to know that you believed in her enough, to allow her to save herself…"

Sephiroth said nothing and carried on towards base camp. His copy had done exactly what he would have in that situation, with one exception. That he DID have to stop. Once she was restrained, he would have throttled his target. His grip was much too powerful for a delicate, female neck to withstand. Even a SOLDIER's. She would have been killed the moment he squeezed. He closed his eyes; even after all that, he still couldn't stop himself from helping her. He cared too much.

.

…

…..

Meia slowed to a walk as she lifted the tarp of the tent and stepped inside. She took a deep breath to steady herself as she approached the engineer sitting at a table in the centre of the large space.

"Ah! Back so soon LeSait," He beamed up at her, "Well I guess this ends your field assessment. Well done, you can take it easy"

The 'engineer' was in fact her trainer and she saluted him, before sitting down heavily on a camp bed. She rubbed her dust filled eyes and brushed the orange powder from her arms and chest, noting the sheer amount of blood that also covered her uniform. She looked at her hands, it was still wet and despite knowing it wasn't quite real, it made her stomach turn none the less.

And it still came from her friend. She recalled the sick feeling she had when she drove her blade into him again and again. It wasn't easy to do. Despite knowing he wasn't real. But what if he was? What if she'd made a grave mistake? Her stomach lurched. She didn't want to think about it. The sound of flapping fabric made her look up. Lazard stepped into the tent; his usually pristine suit was yellow and dusty. And following him was Sephiroth. Perfectly unharmed. She breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Thank Gaia…

Lazard exchanged some words with the trainer before approaching her. Meia stood and saluted him,

"Well, Miss LeSait. I think it's safe to say you passed. As soon as we get home I'll make it official, Ill also go through the whole assessment with you properly" He smiled at her and held his hand out to shake,

"Thank you Sir, I am honoured" She replied, grasping his hand firmly. Her eye twitched as he withdrew, his glove now stained with blood. She'd used her bloody hand…

"I'm sorry Sir…" She began, but was cut off,

"Oh, pay no heed to this. I think it's time we shut it off anyway. Sephiroth?" Lazard turned to his tall companion, who looked up and nodded. Meia watched, puzzled, as Sephiroth tapped away on his personal pad. In the next instant she watched as the blood on Lazard's glove faded and vanished, not unlike a hologram in the training room did,

"There! All gone. The dust however sadly…won't be so easy…" Lazard trailed off and began to brush himself down. Meia asked permission to be dismissed and strode out the tent again. Seeing Sephiroth shut the hologram off had made her begin to seethe with anger. He was controlling the fake version of himself. He had made it almost kill her. She stormed outside and kept walking. Why would he do that to her? After everything they'd been through? After all she trusted him with. She became aware that she was being followed and she marched faster, heading for a patch of wind bent trees and bushes,

"Meia…"

"What is it?" She snapped, not bothering to turn.

"Is that any way to address your superior?"

Now she was livid, "Permission to drop ranks a moment, _sir…_"

"…..granted but..." A well-aimed slap across the face shocked him into silence. It didn't hurt, but the message was clear. Meia had rounded on him and she was furious.

"I trusted you, how could you do that to me?" She growled at him. Sephiroth sighed and shut his eyes,

"Because Meia. I needed to show you something…"

"What? You needed to show me what a cruel, cold, heartless bastard you are! Do you have any idea how terrifying it is being stalked by you?" There was murder in her voice. He was afraid of this. She stormed off again and disappeared behind a cluster of boulders and tree's, her words still ringing in his ears. He followed her slowly; she was standing by a small cliff, staring into a quarry below.

"Meia…Please, at least let me explain why I did it…" He said gently. She had every right to be angry with him, he knew this. But he was desperate to be forgiven. This shocked him a little, was he afraid of losing her…?

"Get on with it then…" She spat, her back still turned.

He took a steadying breath, "I did it because of what you said during your materia lesson last week. You said you trusted me. You said you knew you would never be in danger with me. I had to teach you that I won't always be there to protect you. And that things…are not always as they seem, that nothing should be taken for granted…" He explained as steadily as he could. She choked and quickly recomposed. She was crying…

"You think I don't know that! Why did you have to use _you_…I trust you…yet you send a demon to kill me…" She turned to face him, tears mixed with dust marked muddy trails down her cheeks, "And he was wearing your face" She finished, shaking her head. Sephiroth clenched his jaw. His heart ached unbearably. He knew this decision was going to be a hard one, but he had no idea just how hard…

"I'm sorry, Meia. But the message had to be clear…Originally, Lazard wanted me to face you but after what you said to me, I couldn't"

"How can I trust you now? I got the message all right…" She didn't seem to have heard him…

"No. you're wrong…" Sephiroth was beginning to anger now, "You can always trust me. I asked for your understanding, yet you're doing a poor job right now. As hard as this is, Meia, you have to understand. I did this to make you stronger, you managed to repel me. Do you know how many people can do that? Very few…you should be proud…"

"Proud! Proud that I can defeat the almighty Sephiroth...?"

"That's not fair Meia, If I faced you, I wouldn't have been able hurt you. How is that a test of your abilities? How does that show me you're capable of taking care of yourself?"

"So you force me to stab you? I should be proud that I can drive a blade into my friend! Will you shut up and listen to yourself!" She screamed at him, the sound of her voice bounced around the quarry behind her. He was stunned to silence. She did understand. It wasn't that which was upsetting her. He realized what he'd done to her now. And he felt ashamed…

"I…Meia …." He shook his head. He didn't know what to say, he felt ill suddenly, the feeling confusing him... "I'm so sorry. I just wanted to help you"

"I do understand, Sephiroth…I know why you did what you did," Meia recognized he'd finally understood, "But your blood, the sight of it…plunging the knife into you over and over again…into the only person I trust…" She babbled quietly, wiping at her tears, "And your eyes, there was no remorse. No compassion. Can't you understand how much that hurt me? After everything I've told you about my past?"

He looked at her. She was pleading with him. Trying to appeal to the side of him that was kind. The side that he only seemed to show her. He'd hurt her. How could he fix it? He closed his eyes and rubbed them with his hand. He was so sure he was right, so sure that what he did was for the best that he'd treated Meia like a regular member of SOLDIER. But she was so much more than that. He realised being her mentor would be tougher than he hoped. It may be easy for him to separate his feelings and emotions, but it wasn't easy for Meia. And now he'd hurt her. He felt awful, and so soon after the incident in Kalm…

"I promise. I'll never do anything like that to you again…" He said softly, sitting on a dusty boulder and holding his head. She took a step towards him and sniffed,

"I don't want to lose any more people I care about, Sephiroth, especially not by my own hands…I was so frightened" She told him quietly, most of the anger now gone from her voice. Replaced with sadness…

He nodded and looked away, shame still swimming in the pit of his stomach. How could he? He felt her place a hand on his head and he looked up into her eyes. She was smiling,

"Please don't angst over this, Sephiroth. I forgive you" She told him gently, rubbing his hair with the lightest touch. He blinked and raised his fingers to her face hesitantly and wiped at the muddy tears on her cheeks,

"I'm not sure I deserve your forgiveness," He began softly, "I think I made a terrible mistake…"

"Of course you deserve it. Mistakes happen, it's only human. But humans can also give the gift of forgiveness. And I can't think of anyone I'd rather give it too" She stepped back from him and wiped the rest of her tears away roughly. He nodded and smiled at her,

"We should get back. And think of a small lie to tell in case they ask where we've been…" He mused out loud. Meia agreed and they began to walk back.

* * *

_Thank you, Eiren. Yes! Here we are at the grand central plaza of Sector 1, the venue for the fifth tri-annual Shinra awards gala, which is set to take place a mere four nights from now. Every three years, President Shinra holds this magnificent event to honour and recognise outstanding individuals that have contributed to the economy and general wellbeing of our city and company. The guest list this year is set to be as extensive as the last, boasting A list celebrity guests, department heads and many other famous faces. This event will surely be the highlight of 1998. Back to you Eiren…_

Meia continued to absentmindedly stir her cup of coffee as the reporter handed back to the anchor man at the studio. The awards gala, she remembered the last one, just about. It was a year after she'd joined the Turks, but she forgot to watch it for some reason she couldn't recall. She shrugged to herself and licked her stirring spoon, before curling up on her small bed and enjoying the beverage she'd made herself.

She had been promoted as soon as they arrived home the previous day and was currently enjoying the beginning of a week off. Lazard had been kind enough to grant it to her as a reward. Technically, she was still on emergency call but other than that she was free to do as she pleased. Zack had stopped by earlier in the day and congratulated her with a small bunch of flowers, which he tried to insist weren't very expensive. But she knew better. Midgar's environment wasn't up to supporting flowers normally. Certain places, at great expense, were designed to support greenery but other than that, flowers were ordered in from towns outside of Midgar. And they were very costly.

Sephiroth had stopped by quickly in the afternoon to congratulate her 'official' promotion. He was still acting very sheepishly around her. For him, anyway. To the untrained eye he was simply himself. Quiet and reserved. But she knew better. She had to tell him again to stop worrying, to which he hid a blush and said something about a pile of paperwork to catch up with and left. She smiled and let him go. She had really yelled at him after her mission. So much so she was afraid it was too much. But he had hurt her and he needed to know. Somehow, she knew he wanted to be forgiven but she wouldn't do it until she was sure he knew what he'd done. Thankfully, his intelligence let him catch on quick.

_49__th__ floor, Training room. 19:21_

"Have you been ordered to go again?"

"Yes. It's non-negotiable…" Sephiroth emphasized the frustration he felt with a vicious throw, the stone in his hand sailing in a perfect line before hitting a dumbapple balanced on a fence across the room. Angeal sighed. Even without his sword he was still beating them.

Genesis turned the page he had just finished reading and crossed his legs, drumming the heel of his foot against the barrel he was sitting on, "At least this time you have a viable date option" He drawled, pouring through his trusty Loveless script. Sephiroth snorted softly and leant against a telegraph pole, arms crossed and looking annoyed,

"Please, I'm not that cruel…"

"You sure about that?" Genesis replied, glancing at him over his book. Sephiroth fixed him with a cold scowl. He wasn't in the mood to joke about that at the moment.

"Now now, Genesis. He has a point though, Sephiroth. Maybe it will be more bearable this time round" Angeal added. Sephiroth shook his head and kicked a stone with his booted foot.

He hated the awards gala. He was forced to go every three years and each time the president showed him off like a blue ribbon chocobo. He had to endure countless people shaking his hand and engaging him in pointless small talk. Then there was the women. Even when he was still a teenager, some of them had no shame. They would buy him drinks, give him things and even stroke his hair whenever they had a chance. He hated it. The irritating minute tug of a few strands being plucked from his head, and the sickly sweet, fake 'oh sorry! Did I catch you?' when he turned to confront them. He couldn't stand it. And each time he requested to be allowed to skip the event, he was turned down. He looked up at the projected sky and let out a heavy sigh.

"Honestly, Sephiroth. Ask her. You never know, she might enjoy herself and she can keep you sane" Angeal said after he'd taken his shot at the apple. Genesis agreed with his friend and handed Sephiroth a blindfold,

"Seriously, we're sick and tired of your crap" He commented jovially. Sephiroth pursed his lips and reluctantly tied the cloth over his eyes. Maybe he should ask Meia to be his partner for the event. Angeal had a valid point after all. And he'd get a chance to spend time with her away from work on a personal level. Something he yearned for, despite his attempts at denial … A small stone was placed in his hand after being spun several times buy Angeal and Genesis. As Sephiroth took his bearings, he made his mind up. He would ask her tonight. His two friends groaned as he hesitated a moment, then threw with a perfect aim, hitting his dumbapple dead centre again.

"This just isn't fair…" Angeal moaned.

* * *

Nestled within a pile of pillows and cushions, currently enjoying an extra thick hazelnut latte, was Meia. After showering she had popped out, grabbed dinner and taken her favourite beverage home with her. At the moment she was watching the night time movie, for lack of anything better to do. She yawned and stretched her legs out. It really was quite boring. So she got up and put one of her own movies on, changing into a well-worn set of pyjamas as well. Was it really appropriate for a woman of her age to be wearing self-modified pink pants adorned with ice-cream cones and unicorns? Of course it was, she smirked to herself, sitting back down on her bed.

But she hadn't even managed to get comfortable before there was a knock on her door. Sighing, she got up and asked who it was, scratching her stomach lazily,

"It's me. May I come in?"

Meia's heart jumped slightly. Suddenly she was drastically aware that pink Pyjamas were not appropriate, neither was looking like you'd only just crawled out of bed after a wild night partying…

"Meia? Are you in?" Sephiroth said again with another soft knock.

"Ah, just a moment…" She replied, frantically trying to smooth her hair down and looking around for something to cover up with. But to her horror, she realised her usual silk gown was still at the cleaners. She let out a small groan and reached for the door,

"Please don't hold this against me…" She sighed at him through the door,

"Hold what aga-…Oh, I see…" Sephiroth couldn't help himself. His lips curled up into a smile as Meia rubbed her head and looked away, clearly embarrassed. He took in the sight before him. Despite looking scruffy and so casual she was almost a different person, Meia still had something that was very alluring to him. Like the evening she was curled up on his sofa. His strange, frankly baffling instincts were surfacing again.

"Hmm…I feel overdressed all of a sudden…" He taunted her finally, pulling on the collar of the cream shirt he was wearing. She crossed her arms with a huff,

"Come on in. I warn you though…it's a mess in here. I'm not uh…a very tidy person really…" She mumbled and stepped aside, allowing him in. Sephiroth shook off his feeling of nostalgia from seeing the small standard issue room again. The smell of coffee and sweet shower gel met his nose straight away though, managing to banish any old memories from his mind. Which he was glad for…

"I'm a bit embarrassed; I wish I knew you were coming…" Meia was currently bustling about, scooping up as much of her clutter as she could and muttering things to herself. Sephiroth smiled, in a funny way, he was actually flattered she'd let him in. She was allowing him to see a glimpse of her personal life. Now he thought about it, all he knew about her on a personal level, aside from her painful past, was that she loved coffee.

"Meia…" He chuckled gently and stopped her, a large pile of clothes in her arms. She blinked at him, her cheeks still flushed with embarrassment, as he took the pile from her, and casually threw them back on the floor,

"That's better" He crossed his arms and cocked his head, amusement painted all over his face, "It's fascinating in here. I like it…"

Meia flopped down on her bed and took a long swig of her coffee, "You must be joking…" She said sulkily. Sephiroth gave a soft low laugh and insisted he wasn't. Meia sighed and smiled up at him,

"It's nice to see you happy again" She told him, to which he snorted softly,

"I wouldn't say happy exactly…" He replied, sitting down on the small chair at Meia's desk.

"Happy-_er_, then. So, what brings you here? Do you actually have a reason, or did you just decide to pop in and have a laugh…" She leant forwards. He crossed his leg over a knee and let out a long sigh,

"I do, but…"

"But?"

He looked at her. She was still leaning towards him, half full coffee cup clutched in her hands. He smiled faintly; she reminded him of when they'd met as children. Scruffy, haphazard, warm and kind. Especially as she was dressed in a lemon yellow top that resembled the dress she wore back then. He could remember it as clear as anything. He was thankful that somewhere in his vivid memory, full of morbid, frankly disturbing material, there resided a comforting, kind vision. A vision of a little girl placing a plaster on his knees. And from that memory, countless more now spiraling from it thanks to the woman she had become sitting in front of him. His childhood may not have been as much fun as 'normal' kids, but at least now he had something to hold on too.

His stomach lurched, remembering what he'd done to her a few days ago. He didn't like how he felt, not one bit. It was a strange sensation and not one he wanted to hang on too. But to his dismay, he couldn't stop thinking about it. How she'd yelled at him. The anger and hurt in her eyes. He simply couldn't let it go and it festered at the back of his mind. He only hoped that eventually, the pain would fade. He sighed softly and blinked. In his momentary mind wander he had chosen the worst place to let his eyes linger without even knowing it. Meia was nervously checking the buttons on her top…

"Sorry…uh…but…"He looked up again into her eyes, "I'm not sure how to go about it…"

"You're not going to find the answer staring at my chest…" Meia sat up again and crossed her legs under her, giving a lopsided grin when Sephiroth covered his eyes in embarrassment and rubbed at his eyebrows,

"I really didn't know where I was looking Meia, sorry…"

She laughed at him and rocked back slightly, "Only playing with you, I knew you were zoned out. Just say it, what's on your mind?"

Sephiroth took his hand away from his face and looked at her again, well aware of the pinkness still lingering on his cheeks,

"Alright. I'm here, Miss LeSait, to ask you out for an evening"

* * *

Haha, poor Lazard xD Although in all fairness, I'd poop my pants if I got that look too D:!

Next chapter - The terrifying awards gala, made worse by a friends jelousy. How much more of it can Sephiroth take?

Please reveiw if you have a spare minute, I enjoy the feedback =)


	22. Chapter 21 a jealous waltz

Holy word count, Batman! They just keep getting longer XD; I don't know if this is good or bad? Bad for proofreading x_x and to think I was originally planning on making the previous chapter and 21 one big chapter. It would have been longer than half the fics on here!

Apologies for the late upload again, but I had some artwork to finish. Including a piece to do with this fic :) I want to upload them both at the same time. The pic can be found in my DA gallery, under the 'Silver winds under Blue skies' folder. It's titled 'A quiet evening' - Link to my DA page is in my profile \o/

As usual but with no less meaning, I want to thank my regular readers & say a biiiiig thanks to my regular reviewers. I am genuinely happy to hear your thoughts and feedback, so Thank you :) Apologies for any mistakes I may have overlooked, its almost 3am xD (I must stop this x_X)

**I do not own Sephiroth or any original material or plot. they are property of Square Enix and this is a work of fandom, not for profit. All I own is the character Meia.**

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* * *

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**Chapter 21**

Meia blinked at her friend a few times. Now it was her turn to be sheepish,

"On a…a date?" She stammered. She really wasn't sure how to take what she just heard. Sephiroth nodded. He'd taken her places before, but he'd never officially referred to them as 'dates'. Sephiroth leant his elbow on Meia's desk,

"I'm in need of a friend to help keep me…sane" He began,

"Won't Genesis or Angeal help?" Meia asked him, curiosity now overshadowing any nervous feelings. Sephiroth thought a moment and smiled,

"I doubt they'd take kindly to wearing a dress…" He laughed softly. Meia grinned despite herself. She had an idea where he was going now,

"Does this have anything to do with the gala in a few nights time?" She asked. He nodded,

"It does. Meia, do you want to come with me? And be my partner for the evening?" He asked her. Although he sounded reasonably confident, the pink tinge was back in his cheeks and Meia smiled softly. How different he was on a personal level, out of his imposing uniform and frosty façade.

"I would be honored" She answered with as much of a theatrical bow as being sat down allowed, "I've never been to anything so grand, though" She mused out loud, putting a finger to her lips "And I have absolutely nothing to wear…" She added, realization dawning. Sephiroth uncrossed his legs and stood up, fishing around in the pocket of his tailored jeans. Finally he pulled out a white card with the trademark red Shinra diamond on it. He handed it to her,

"This is my company card, you can visit town and find something nice to hire with it. I hear Sector one has the best places…"

Meia stared at the card, with its small stamp sized photo of him on it, "Are…you sure? You're giving me your credit card?"

"I trust you. Besides, I know the only thing you'll give in to is a coffee binge. I don't think that will bankrupt me" He smiled genuinely down at her.

"I don't know what to say…Thank you, Sephiroth…"

"Promise me one thing though," He began, accepting Meia's pat on the bed and sitting down next to her, "Find something really nice. You deserve it. And no grass stains, please" He added with a cocky smile. Meia chuckled and shoved him playfully with her shoulder and carried on staring at the card in her hands. Finally, she settled back into her nest of pillows, placing his card in a bag hanging on a hook beside her bed,

"You want to stay and watch a movie? There isn't anything else on…" She asked him with a nervous smile. He watched her a moment, before leaning back against the wall and folding his legs up,

"I wasn't planning on doing anything else this evening…I don't see why not"

"Finished that 'massive' pile of paperwork?"

"Perhaps…it wasn't quite as massive as I thought it was" He replied with a sheepish smile, before stifling a yawn behind his hand. Meia threw him a few pillows and settled down. So far, her week off was turning out to be her best yet.

* * *

"Whatever you need is fine"

"But…I need a few things, not just the dress…"

"Honestly Meia, its fine. Get whatever you have too and treat yourself to a coffee"

"But…"

Sephiroth chuckled softly down the phone and hung up. Women were apparently confusing at the best of times, according to the wise sage Hewley. When he'd told Angeal of his plans to simply hand over his credit card, his friend almost choked on the drink he had. Sephiroth looked up at Angeal, who was, like himself, working on a report in the briefing room,

"Something wrong? Has she maxed it out already?"

Sephiroth snorted softly, "No. And I very much doubt she will"

"Ha! One of the rules of life, Sephiroth, is to never give a woman your credit card, let alone tell them to go shopping with it!"

Sephiroth pursed his lips, "Just because you're a cheapskate, Angeal"

"I like being cheap, thank you very much. So what's up with her?"

"Apparently she will need more than a dress…"

"Of course she will" Angeal leant back in his chair and stretched, "Let's see. She will need a dress, shoes, makeup, perfume, something for her hair…possibly to get her hair done actually, a jacket…need I go on? Oh! Lingerie too…"

Sephiroth simply stared at his friend, "And? Your point?"

"Just how much more than us do you get paid…?" Angeal was utterly confounded that Sephiroth didn't seem to understand, "Have you set her a limit?"

"No. I don't feel the need too"

"You're crazy. I want to be there when she comes home…" Angeal shook his head.

"I trust Meia, Angeal. That's all there is too it. She's smart, she'll hire what she can and get the rest. Besides…I looked at her file with Lazard when we came home. It's her birthday the day after the gala"

"Really? Damn…wonder why she didn't say anything…"

"Probably because she didn't want people to feel obliged to celebrate it"

Angeal looked at Sephiroth and smiled, "You two really are a lot alike, aren't you?" He said with a hint of nostalgia. The silver haired man closed his eyes and sighed gently,

"It seems we are. I don't care what she gets. I just want her to treat herself, that's all" He answered and then got on with his report once more. Angeal watched him for a few moments, before doing the same. It was nice for him to see Sephiroth content because of someone, almost as if he was at peace. He certainly was a different man these days. Not in a drastic way, he certainly wasn't the type to act doe eyed. But Angeal could see something special connected those two, even if the change in Sephiroth was barely there to detect.

* * *

Meia stared at her phone after Sephiroth had hung up. She felt so humbled but terrified at the same time. Stashing it away again in her bag, she pulled out her wallet and pushed the white card up from its holdings. Could she really get whatever she wanted? She was adamant she would only hire a dress. There was no need to waste money on something she most likely would only wear once. The shoes she could hire as well. But everything else she would have to buy.

She took a shaky breath and placed the wallet in her bag again. Meia had gone to sector one at Sephiroth's recommendation and now stood in a large square filled with people. There was a market on today, and the smell of fresh bread and food wafted on the air and filled her nostrils. She sat down on the edge of an ornate fountain that marked the centre of the square and pulled out a notebook and paper. As she wrote down what she thought she would need, she smiled to herself. She was actually looking forward to the gala. In her wildest dreams, she'd never imagined attending such an event. It was defiantly a new sensation for a quiet, country girl.

Then something hit her. What if there was dancing? She couldn't dance…or more accurately, she'd never tried. Sure, anyone could get into the rhythm of a favourite piece of music and go crazy. But formal events called for formal practices and Meia was pretty sure dancing on tables to whatever groove you felt like wasn't appropriate. She swallowed thickly; did Sephiroth know how to dance? Instinctively she reached for her phone but stopped herself. She wouldn't bother him again for a while; he was probably busy with work. She took a deep breath and stood up, not quite managing to shake the feeling of excitement and nerves. As she decided on a street to head down and begin her search for a dress, her phone blipped at her from her bag. She fished it out to read while walking. It was a message, from Angeal;

_To: Meia_

_Please don't worry about_

_Your shopping. Treat yourself,_

_It will make Him happy._

_..._

_...  
_

_Later that day – Shinra building 49__th__ floor_

Genesis took an overly noisy bite from the dumbapple he held in his hands and munched on it contentedly. Angeal let out a groan of protest and held his head over his laptop,

"Must you been so obvious? You may be skipping work but we actually like to stay on top of things" Angeal grumbled. Genesis tossed his head haughtily and took another bite,

"Thanks to being suspended for a month, I've caught up on all my work thank you very much"

Sephiroth narrowed his eyes. Genesis had been acting like this for a while now, but it was no surprise really. Being confined to base for a month was incredibly boring for him. It was apparent when they spared, Genesis was notably fiercer. Like a petulant child that hadn't got his own way. He rubbed his temple slightly. He was almost finished; proofreading could be done in his room.

"So, did she say yes?" Genesis asked him suddenly, hopping up and thumping down on the wooden surface next to Sephiroth's laptop. He nodded as he typed, his green eyes flicking over the screen as he did so. Genesis made a sound that feigned mock surprise and took another noisy bite,

"Wonder what it's going to be like this year…" He mused out loud. When he didn't get an answer he began swinging his legs and humming to himself. Sephiroth ignored him. He wasn't in the mood to entertain Genesis today. He wanted to finish this report tonight so he had all of tomorrow to proofread them and then relax before the gala.

Finally, and despite the distractions, he managed to finish and took a long stretch. Genesis was currently pacing the room reciting Loveless to himself, and anyone who was listening. Which was annoying Angeal. Sephiroth stood up and turned his laptop off, but the gentle hiss of the door opening made him look round. His lips twitched as he tried to contain a smile,

"Ooooh, if it isn't Miss Second class!" Genesis cooed enthusiastically, snapping his book shut which caused Angeal to flinch, "You have a week off and still you're up here? Must be something about the place that you simply can't resist…"

"Genesis! Will you please-" Angeal finally snapped and growled at his friend. Genesis laughed and waved him down and Meia simply looked confused, "What's that smell…?" Genesis quizzed her, stepping closer and sniffing the air. Sephiroth watched him, another strange sensation rearing its head. He was baffled, it felt different…another new feeling to figure out. But when Genesis stepped closer to her, he felt a twist of anger. How can he be so forward with Meia? And why couldn't he be like that…

"It's…just coffee, Genesis…" Meia said defensively, holding up her large cup as some kind of proof. Genesis snorted and shook his head, now standing right in front of her,

"Oh no it's not…it's…hmmm" He leant in and sniffed closer to her, "just how much perfume are you wearing, Meia?" He concluded, a slight exaggeration used for emphasis. Meia stuttered and cursed to herself. She knew she should have changed before coming to find Sephiroth. Before she came home, she'd had a wander around a large department store just to make sure she had everything she needed. Before she knew it, she was absorbed in the fragrance department merrily sampling scents from across the world. Now she realised that she was wearing several different brands at once and all together, that smelt like a boudoir…or worse.

"I think that's enough, Genesis…" Angeal grouched at him, rubbing his forehead. Genesis laughed slightly before pulling his book out again and sitting himself down on the conference table. Meia chewed her lip and half contemplated leaving and going to get changed. But Sephiroth had caught her attention with an inquisitive tilt of his head. So she sighed and went to greet him, sipping her coffee to steady her embarrassment shot nerves.

"Heya, I thought I'd try here before your place…" She said to him, keeping more distance than she usually did between them. In the dry, clean air-conditioned environment she was in, Meia realised just how strong the scent coming from her was. She felt a little humiliated…

"I was just about to head off actually. Is everything ok?" Sephiroth asked her with a small smile. Meia nodded and looked behind her nervously,

"Yes…well, maybe…I uh…" She checked again. Genesis was currently occupying the other side of the room and Angeal was focused on his report, "I have to ask you something" She finished quietly, although still trying to keep her distance. Sephiroth raised an eyebrow; sensing she was uncomfortable, he quietly asked her to follow him out the room into the supply area beyond the glass. Once the door was closed and the others cut off, he turned to her,

"What is it, Meia?" He asked and leant on the wall behind him.

"Will…there be dancing at the gala?" She asked. Sephiroth shrugged his shoulders slightly and closed his eyes,

"Unfortunately, yes. Why?"

Meia swallowed, "I don't know how to dance. I've never tried before…" She said though a nervous laugh and rubbed the back of her head. Sephiroth's lips curled into a smile and he crossed his arms,

"Well, lucky for you I do. Come on" He said with a small laugh. Meia blinked and followed him, tossing her empty coffee cup in the bin on her way past. He led her to the training room, where he blacked out the windows and isolated the holographic area and then entered. Meia followed after him,

"Are you serious? Is there anything you can't do?"

"Nothing I've tried. Come here" He beckoned her over to him, again with an alluring flick of his fingers. Meia tried to ignore it. What was he going to do? The smell of the perfume was still bothering her, but she did as she was told, her nerves rising again. Sephiroth was currently looking down his nose at her, clearly enjoying himself,

"In theory, it's simple. There is always a waltz to dance do. Couples are expected to participate…"

"You say that with distain…" Meia questioned, stopping in front of him, "You don't like it, I assume"

"I don't like the whole event, Meia, no one component is any different. And I've never had a partner before…" He replied, noting she was still keeping her distance. She looked at him with a puzzled expression,

"Then…what are you doing?"

"Teaching"

"But …if you don't want to dance, why show me how?"

He laughed softly and smiled, "Because, _you_ might enjoy it" He said simply. Meia looked a little stunned,

"You would dance…just for me?" She said quietly, prompting him to nod his reply. Meia felt her cheeks warm as she stammered a 'thank you' to him. Sephiroth stepped closer to her and began explaining that there was always a leader and a follower. She was relieved when he said the male usually leads. She would have a hard time leading a six foot six man around. He placed his right hand on her back and held his left up, asking her to clasp it. Meia could feel her heartbeat quicken. She was nervous, made all the worse due to the fact she was conscious of the way she smelt. She clasped his hand as instructed and stared at it. It was so small compared to his, yet he held it with gentle care. She swallowed slightly and looked at him again; he was explaining that she should lean back against his other hand a little so he could support her. Finally, he took her left hand and placed it on his right arm, and held her hand once more, finishing the hold. Meia looked at the setup, taking it in and trying to remember,

"I have a question…" She began, "How do you know this? I'm surprised…" She asked him. He smirked down at her,

"Dancing is as easy as fighting. It's all just choreography. The hard part is having a partner…" He added with tinge of playfulness. Seeing Meia's face fall however caused him to carry on in his usual patient, coaching tone, "I learned a lot when I was a child, Meia. I learned so quickly I think the teachers and mentors all had bets to see how much information I could take on board…"

"This is going to be a disaster…" Meia wailed softly. She looked up as Sephiroth chuckled,

"Hardly. Look at my feet, Meia. Practice stepping into my last footstep…" He explained, and drew his left foot back a pace. Meia nodded and looked down, stepping her right foot to where his used to be. Slowly he got her used to his movement with random steps, a few of which she tripped over trying to anticipate his moves. He scolded her gently and instructed her to follow him, not to fight him. Blushing, Meia tried again and gradually she relaxed a little more and stopped falling over his feet. Then he showed her the basic step, which was relatively easy because it was choreographed. Meia's nerves gradually melted away and she actually began to enjoy herself.

And she began to notice her feelings creeping up on her. The feelings she had hidden away deep inside. It was no secret she enjoyed Sephiroth's company and called him her friend, but what was surfacing now she tried hard every day to contain. But what was the harm? They were in a sealed room. No one was watching or listening. There was no one to deceive, only Him. And he was the one person she didn't want to deceive.

After a while she stopped looking at their feet. She had caught on fast and the movement was becoming natural and fluid,

"Are you comfortable now Meia?" He asked gently,

"Well…more comfortable than I was, shall we say…"

"Pay no attention to Genesis. He's just bored and looking for someone to get a rise out of" He replied, his eyes lingering on the top of her head. She smiled; it was nice of him to think of her like that,

"I do smell rather strange though…" She confessed. Sephiroth chuckled softly,

"I didn't want to say anything…" He replied and looked into her eyes. She was still blushing, "Did you have a nice time today?"

Meia nodded and smiled at him. She was acting strange, she was timid and shy. Her true nature had surfaced. He sighed softly and continued to lead her around the room, noticing she had learned quickly.

"You know…" He began again softly, "If you're comfortable with the step now, we should see if you can do it without looking…"

"What do you mean…?" Came her quiet reply,

"Dancers don't look at their feet, Meia. They enjoy themselves, their environment, and their company. You can't do that staring at the floor…" Sephiroth stated gently. Then, throwing his own caution to the winds, he stopped and pulled her closer. At first, Meia stiffened. What was he doing? She could feel the open buckles on his coat pressing against her bellybutton area. Her eyes lingered on the pale, almost perfect skin of his chest. The contours of his collarbone. The tiny jump of his skin, moved by his heart beneath his chest. She was aware of every part of him pressed against her gently and she now found it impossible to look down. Was this what he meant?

"This is hip contact Meia" His voice had changed. Gone was the tone of a mentor and in its place, the sweet whisperings of a dear friend, "It allows for more subtle signals. And a more…sensual dance" His voice was almost a purr.

Meia took a shaky breath and finally looked up at him. He was stunningly beautiful. Almost too beautiful to be a man, but he was. For a moment, she forgot all her worries, all her inhibitions, all her fears and simply stared into his eyes. Pools of luminous blue green, flicking ever so slightly as he watched her. She watched the long slit of his pupils twitching and changing. Why were they shaped like that? Sephiroth was a mystery. A beautiful enigma, almost too perfect in appearance, as if he was handed down from the heavens. Her heart longed to know more. But with a quick, almost apologetic smile, he looked away over her head,

"If you feel comfortable enough, then tomorrow we can dance like this" He said gently. Meia nodded her head and cleared her throat,

"I'd like that. Very much, thank you for teaching me"

"My pleasure, Meia" And with that sentence, he released her gently and broke the contact they shared. He said goodbye to her and left the room, leaving her standing holding a hand to her chest. Her heart was beating much stronger and she cursed softly.

_How much longer can I deny this feeling?_

….

"What have you been doing? Where did you vanish too?" Genesis demanded to know. Sephiroth sighed, his thumping heart had almost settled but he still felt the effects of her body pressed so close to his. He had to break the contact; alone in a room like that his own body was reacting in ways he'd never experienced before. He wasn't sure what to make of it, or what would happen, so he left.

"Why are your cheeks pink? …what were you up to with Meia eh?" Genesis had caught on fast, as usual, and Sephiroth's anger was simmering again,

"That's none of your business, Genesis. Aren't you done annoying people for the day?" He replied as he retrieved his laptop, his voice carrying an edge of frustration. Genesis scoffed and folded his arms,

"Whatever it was it's got you flustered. I've never seen you like this before…"

"My body and my whereabouts are not open for discussion, Genesis"

"Why so grumpy? You should be happ-" But Sephiroth stormed out before Genesis could finish. He blinked and watched him leave, before shrugging and sitting down next to Angeal. The older man sighed and leant back,

"What have I told you about that? Don't tease him…"

"Why is he acting like this? It's annoying…"

"Try and imagine what he's feeling right now. He never shows his emotions, never discusses his feelings. Now he's found someone that he's happy to spend time with, and he's trying to figure his emotions out slowly. But his body is betraying him, moving faster than he's comfortable with. And it's not so easy to hide physical changes… Can't you see how infuriating that is for someone like Sephiroth?" Angeal explained steadily. Genesis nodded, he had a point.

_Sector 1 Plaza – 18:09 the following evening_

The usual blanket of darkness that enveloped Midgar was ever present, but tonight it was being defied buy sector one's glitz and glamour. It was the sector that boasted the richest, most cultured locations. Designer shops littered every street; the window displays ever changing to entice the well to do folk of the city to part with their hard earned cash. Finely designed architecture was everywhere, from the simplest meeting place to the grandest building. The whole sector screamed sophistication and class. So it was no surprise the venue for the Gala was located here also. A vast building rose magnificently from the centre of the plate, lit from the ground with an array of spotlights. Drapes and banners hung from the high walls of the front of the place, leading the eye down to the massive crowds that had already gathered. They waited for their hero's to appear, famous faces from every aspect of Midgar's culture were invited to attend the evening by the President.

In front of the venue were three long courtyards that formed an approach to the building and served as a lively park by day to friends and work colleagues to meet and socialise. The east courtyard was closed off and guarded, serving as a meeting area for guests before they made their way into the venue via the main central courtyard. A row of fountains cut through the centre of each segment shaped park and formed a pleasant backdrop to the otherwise excited and loud crowd.

Sephiroth swallowed dryly. Give him a mission over this any day. This one night struck fear into his heart far more than anything he had ever encountered. Maybe that was an exaggeration, he thought, but the Gala was still utterly terrifying. Genesis and Angeal were standing with him in the east courtyard away from the crowds. Usually, guests made their entrance with their dates, and all three so far were still waiting on theirs. Angeal tapped him on the arm,

"Want me to check everything is on straight?" He asked. Sephiroth nodded. All three of them were wearing their dress uniforms. Only First Class SOLDIERS were invited as guests of honour to the Gala, and of course the director. So to make sure they were distinguishable, their dress code was formal military wear. Angeal tugged on the stiff collar around Sephiroth's neck, making sure it was neat and straight. He circled him and brushed at the small cape slung around his left shoulder, making sure there was nothing on it,

"Why are these things made from wool? There has to be a more comfortable material than this…" Genesis complained, tugging on the front of his long, thick, black embellished waistcoat. Angeal agreed with him and finished checking Sephiroth's boots for scuffs or marks,

"Your clean, everything's perfect" He advised finally. Sephiroth thanked him and bent his knees slightly, the stiff leather of his boots creaking in protest; It had been a while since he'd worn his uniform and the pants were a little on the tight side. But they were tailored that way. Genesis was currently flexing his legs also, noticing Sephiroth doing the same,

"It's a blessing the coats are so long…my ass is perfect in these trousers. I wouldn't be left alone" He joked, earning a laugh from Angeal. Sephiroth smiled and listened to the crowd's one courtyard over as the noise from them elevated. He sighed and stared down the dark courtyard to its end, where it fell away to a lower level via a wide staircase. The noise died down again and the sound of the fountains running up the centre of the courtyard could be heard once more. The evening was still quite warm from the day, despite summer being past its peak now. But Midgar's smoggy umbrella had a habit of trapping and containing heat very well. Involuntarily he raised a hand to the front of his jacket and gave it a pat, seeking the reassuring bulk of something he was concealing within it.

After a minute or so, heeled footsteps could be heard striding confidently towards them from the dark end of the courtyard. Angeal stepped forward and waved. It was his date. A well groomed woman, older than he was, wearing a modest green dress. She smiled and embraced him, before offering her compliments on his uniform. Angeal had been seeing her for some time now, but Sephiroth had never met her. Angeal introduced them and he nodded politely, flashing a small smile. His 'gala smile' was well rehearsed but he tried to at least show a genuine one to his friend's dates. Next came Genesis's date. A young woman from the theatre. As far as He or Angeal knew, they hadn't been together very long. She was wearing a less modest deep crimson dress and her curly blond hair fell and bounced about her shoulders. She reminded him of someone…

"And this is Sephiroth…"

"Ah yes, of course I know you" She cooed at him. Sephiroth inwardly groaned. He knew what that tone meant. She tilted her head coyly and offered her hand, presumably hoping to have it kissed. But Sephiroth simply smiled and said 'pleased to meet you' before turning his attention back down the courtyard. He hoped Meia would arrive soon and that she hadn't got lost.

"Why don't you head off, she shouldn't be much longer. I'll join you inside" He asked the small group with him, to which they agreed and headed towards the main entrance. Sephiroth watched them go and listened as the crows welcomed them. He sighed; maybe the entrance wouldn't be so bad knowing he wouldn't be alone this time.

Just before he began to worry, a new set of footsteps could be heard from the other side of the line of fountains. Was it Meia? Then a figure stepped into sight through a gap in the line and appeared to hesitate, before taking a few unsure steps forward. Then the light from the lamps fell on them as they stepped through the walkway. Sephiroth's mouth opened ever so slightly. It was Meia. And she looked beautiful. He caught his breath as his stomach and heart fluttered, he'd never felt anything like this before. He stepped forward to get a better look. By now she had seen him and was smiling, a look of plain relief on her face. The pale glow of the lamp above him illuminated her flowing coral pink and blue dress, bouncing off of what looked like scales on the bodice, giving way to a fluttering, flowing skirt made from layers of pearly, sheer fabric. The bodice was a sleeveless corset, and she was wearing her necklace which complimented her look perfectly. Her hair was pulled into a loose, flowing fey like style and was decorated with a delicate silver headband.

She stepped up to him; her impressive heels placed her much closer to his eye line. He was still dumbstruck as he looked down at her necklace, the delicate feathers that finished her bodice at the top, softening the transition from dress to skin,

"I'm glad I found you, I was starting to worry…this is a bit intimidating…" She laughed nervously. Noticing Sephiroth was still silent, she chewed her lip, "Is it too much? Oh I knew I went overboard…" She began to babble as she did when she was nervous. Sephiroth blinked, finally coming round. He was still trying to make sense of the way he felt right now,

"It's not too much. You look…" He took a breath and tried to relax, "You look beautiful, Meia"

"Really? I look ok?" She said through her fingers, having brought her hand to her face in worry. Sephiroth managed a smile and nodded,

"You look wonderful. Are you ready?" He asked, glancing over his shoulder in the direction of the entrance.

"As I'll ever be" She said, taking a deep breath. Sephiroth looked down at her and offered his right elbow. He was actually relieved she was as nervous as he was, they could get through this together. She took it, linking her arm with his and falling into stride next to him. They walked towards the steps at the dark end of the courtyard, before heading for a gap in the greenery that led up to the central, main courtyard, via another set of steps. Before they set foot on the top few, Sephiroth stopped and composed himself,

"I hate this bit…" He half mumbled. Meia gave his arm a gentle squeeze,

"You'll be fine" She reassured him, rubbing his arm gently and smiling at him. He nodded, took a deep breath, and together they cleared the last few steps.

The main courtyard, unlike the one they had emerged from, was still well lit as far down as they were. Mercifully, a few groups of guests were still waiting for dates, or smoking their last cigarettes, so the fact a small couple had joined their midst went unnoticed. At first. But as they strode closer to the entrance, the flashing crowds began to spot them and before long an almighty uproar had started. Meia was shocked at the reaction. Photographers, despite being held behind press barriers, scrambled to get shots of the tall SOLDIER, shoving and yelling at each other. Groups of excited fans all clambered to get a better look at Sephiroth, a sea of arms holding out pens and books for him to sign.

"Do you sign any?" Meia asked quietly in his ear,

"A few, were asked too by the President" He replied. Meia slipped her arm out from his as they got closer to the barriers and he stepped forwards, accepting his first signing. Meia hung back and watched as camera flashes went off wildly. He was being treated like an A list movie star. Young men and women all clambered to get a piece of him, asking him questions to which he mostly replied with a simple smile and a nod. She could see now why someone as private as Sephiroth would feel uncomfortable out here. A few flashes were aimed her way and before she knew it, a female reporter had seized her opportunity,

"And here I am with the lady seen arriving with Sephiroth, good evening! Are you excited to be the date of one of the most popular guests?" She asked confidently, almost thrusting her microphone in Meia's face. She didn't know what to do…

"I uh…I guess I am…"

"What's your name? The public are dying to know!" She grinned happily at her. Giving her name was about the same as signing a death wish,

"Do they now" She blagged with a nervous laugh, trying to stand with some air of dignity. The reporter wasn't budging though and Meia actually contemplated giving a fake name. But Sephiroth had noticed she was being harassed by the press and turned to rescue her,

"Mr Sephiroth! Were very happy you could make it tonight!" The reporter's excitement was barely contained and she made to carry on, but he cut her off,

"So am I. If you'll excuse us…" He lied and moved past the woman, steering Meia by the waist. Meia breathed a sigh of relief and linked her arm in Sephiroth's again and walked the remaining distance into the main hall.

"Thank you…" She whispered to him once the doors closed behind them, drowning out most of the noise. The entrance hall was a grand affair, high ceilinged and vast. It was curved, probably mirroring the shape of the event hall beyond it. A grand central staircase lead up to what she presumed was the auditorium, event planners and waiting staff could be seen flitting in and out of them. All the guests so far were occupying the entrance hall and the turnout was quite impressive. Sephiroth was currently scanning the crowd for Genesis and Angeal, but Meia was distracted by all the famous faces she could pick out. Actors, musicians, public figures…everywhere she looked there was someone,

"Ah, there they are…but" Sephiroth said suddenly. Meia looked up at him with questioning eyes which prompted him to finish his sentence, "But Scarlet is with them…" He finished dryly, his expression dulling to a look of discontent.

"Scarlet? The head of the weapons department?" Meia recalled. Sephiroth nodded and suggested they pick a quiet spot to wait in until she was gone.

They found a spot under an air conditioning vent and waited there, basking in the cool current that drifted down the meet them. Meia sipped on a thin flute of champagne that she'd plucked from a waiter on his way past and watched Sephiroth try to loosen his uniform. She smiled,

"Is this standard formal dress?" She asked him. He nodded with a sigh,

"Yes, but it's not very comfortable…" He said, tugging on the collar fastened around his neck. Meia sat down on a chair and watched him, noting his apparent discomfort,

"Well, you look good in it…" She said quietly, "It's very flattering" Her eyes drifted all over him, taking in the lines and tailoring. The boots she especially liked, the outer edge of them came all the way up to his thigh but were cut away on the inside of the leg and made from the shiniest of leather,

"Will I get a uniform like that?" She asked serenely, still allowing her eyes to linger on him. He shrugged,

"Who knows? Women usually prefer to join the Turks and those who have been in SOLDIER have so far never made it to First" He gave up trying to get comfortable and sat down beside Meia, crossing a leg over his knee. Meia did likewise and they watched as more guests trickled in. The hall was quite full by the time they were allowed in and people started filing up the stairway. Lazard and Callo, Meia recognised him from the Kalm mission, found them when the crowd thinned and was currently conducting introductions. He informed them that the SOLDIER unit had their own table so they went as a group into the auditorium.

Meia gasped as she stepped through the double doors. The inside was huge. A stage was set up at the far end with a large clear area in front of it, presumably for the dancing later. Tables and chairs took up the remaining space. Meia couldn't help but notice she was getting a few sideways glances cast at her, and the looks from some of the women were nothing short of venomous. She bit her lip nervously; she wouldn't let them get to her. She was here to support her friend and that was that.

An usher led them to their table, where Genesis and Angeal already sat, along with their dates. Meia noticed Genesis's date started acting more coy when they approached and she arched an eyebrow.

"Ah! I was wondering where you four were" Angeal said cheerily as the rest of their company sat down. Sephiroth quietly mentioned something about avoiding certain company as he pulled Meia's chair out for her. Most of them smirked, except the three outside dates; they didn't really know what he meant.

A large tray of canapés was served shortly after they sat down and they picked at them while small talk was exchanged. Meia stared at the bite sized treats. She hoped something more substantial was on the way; she hadn't eaten anything since breakfast. Her stomach growled at her, but luckily only Sephiroth heard it over the chatter filling the room. He gave her a sideways glance with a small shrug and handed her the treat she was trying to grab but couldn't quite reach. He leant closer to her ear as she munched on it,

"If you're still hungry later we can get something. I can almost guarantee that what were served won't satisfy us. Especially those of us who skipped a meal…"

"How did you know?"

"Lucky guess" He said with a small laugh and helped himself to food.

A short time later, a tall somewhat lanky young man strode on stage wearing a pristine white suit and introduced himself as Rufus Shinra. Meia and her present company listened as he opened the evening, thanking the guests for attending and hoping they all enjoy themselves. Meia cast her eyes round; of the people at her table, the only people that seemed genuinely excited were the dates. Was it simply because military men weren't into this sort of thing? She sipped her drink and her eyes fell on Genesis's girlfriend. She was sitting almost opposite of Sephiroth and throughout Rufus's speech; she was trying to catch his attention. Her body language, her eyes…everything was screaming 'look at me' But Sephiroth had his eyes fixed firmly on the President's son. The blonde woman was making her uncomfortable…

Then the awards were handed out. Genesis received an award for his contributions to Loveless. Meia knew he was involved with it, but she didn't actually know how much. She sat and watched footage of him on stage and was impressed with his acting abilities and applauded enthusiastically when he went on stage to receive it, looking very pleased with himself. But again she noticed his date hardly looked at him. She was still making eyes at Sephiroth. And Meia was beginning to feel a twinge of jealousy. Had this woman no shame?

So her reaction to the final award was no surprise. The president honoured and awarded Sephiroth for his contributions to the conflict with the Wutai. He was hailed as a hero and the entire hall broke out into a standing ovation when he strode on stage. Almost the entire hall. Genesis only got up when he realised the rest of the table was. His date was practically beside herself with admiration. Meia turned her attention back to Sephiroth, holding a stiff salute as yet another decoration was pinned to his jacket. She looked at his face, it was a perfect mask. She knew underneath he was squirming with discomfort, but he bore it well.

"You're running out of room on your jacket, Sephiroth" Angeal's date commented jovially, which earned her a small smile from the man in question. Main meals were now being served and Meia, although relieved to be eating something, couldn't ignore the void in her stomach. She had to constantly remind herself of her manors in an effort to stop herself eating like a chocobo,

"So Meia!" Lazard's date chirped suddenly, "I hear you were promoted to Second recently, my congratulations. I'm not sure I've ever heard of a more successful woman in the military. Are you progressing at the rate you had hoped?"

Meia swallowed her current, pathetic, mouthful and smiled, "Defiantly, more so actually…"

"She'll be outclassing the boys soon" Lazard added with a pleasant laugh. Meia waved him down, slightly embarrassed,

"I doubt that Sir"

"Come now, don't be modest. It just goes to show what having a First Class mentor can do for a SOLDIER" Lazard mused, "It's not often they express an interest in coaching subordinates"

"That just makes us look bad, Sir" Callo remarked, his wife giggling beside him.

"Oh? Who is your coach?" Genesis's date asked. Meia's eyes instinctively flicked sideways to Sephiroth before she could help herself, "Ahh, I see" And she fixed Meia with a very subtle, but very clear stare for a moment. Meia pursed her lips,

"Sir's, everyone, If you'll excuse me a moment" She said, rising out of her seat and looking around for the restrooms. She needed to take a breather and stretch her legs. Once in the bathroom, which was as grand as the building it was located in, she leant on the sink counter and sighed deeply. Her stomach growled at her and she held a hand to it. She was worried about the woman with Genesis. She knew full well Genesis had to struggle to keep his rivalry with Sephiroth in check and his date flirting with him wouldn't make matters any better. She turned and checked her reflection in the mirror. What little makeup she had on was still in place and her hair was meant to look wistful and flyaway. For once…

"Oh, so this is where you went to" A voice purred beside her. It was Genesis's date. Meia smiled slightly and nodded,

"Yes, I needed to stretch my legs" She replied pleasantly. The woman tossed her head and began re touching her own makeup. Meia decided to leave but before she managed too, the woman had spoken again,

"So how long have you and Sephiroth been together?" She asked candidly, tracing her lips with lipstick. Meia was taken aback,

"Together? Oh no, were just friends" She answered, her heart sinking slightly when she said 'friends'

"I see…"

Meia nodded to her back and left quickly. Why would she ask such a thing? Meia's concern turned to worry. She had a bad feeling brewing in her stomach that wasn't entirely hunger. She re-joined the table, noting Genesis and Sephiroth were missing as she sat down. Lazard chuckled to himself; his cheeks were tinged ever so slightly with red,

"Once one goes, everyone needs too!" He stated merrily and took another swig of his drink.

….

Sephiroth dried his hands and replaced his white uniform gloves, before leaning on a wall in the men's restrooms. He sighed and rubbed his eyes gently. He'd rather be at home on his sofa. He'd rather be doing anything but be here. He looked down at his newest decoration, a platinum cross on a blue ribbon. He hated it. Or rather, he hated what it made people see him for. A tool, a war hero. He despised the looks he got from women, all undressing him with their eyes, all fawning over _what _he was. Not _who _he was. But did he really hate it? Part of him loved it. Loved the fighting, loved the battles. It was all he knew, all he'd ever known. But lately, his feelings were changing. Before he was content with feeling aloof and distant. Keeping those who would take advantage of him at arm's length and absorbing himself in his work. His passion. Fighting.

But lately, it wasn't enough. Lately his emotions were all over the place. He recognised it as concern, worry. Worry over what someone might think of him. What a certain someone might do if they found out what he was like when he fought. But she already knew. Twice she'd been exposed to him, unbridled. Untamed. His hologram records him when he's fighting, when he's killing. It doesn't care who the opponent is, it hunts them mercilessly with the brutality of his true nature.

And twice Meia had been exposed to it. How he hated the thought of her seeing him like that. There was other things as well. Things about his past, his childhood, his pain. What would she do if she knew? Would she run? He longed to tell her, but at the same time he struggled with his feelings. For the first time in his life, he was afraid of something.

Sephiroth brushed himself off and stepped back out into the corridor the restrooms were located in. He looked up; the woman that was with Genesis was here. What was she doing? But then a look came across her face that he knew too well. Usually, he would brush them off in confidence. He didn't dislike women, but there were certain types he'd rather not get involved with. Shallow, materialistic types without an ounce of intelligence. The type that would sell him to the media and brag to their friends. Sephiroth was not content to be a trophy on such a woman's mantelpiece. No mantelpiece was grand enough…But now, now he felt different. He'd rather not interact with any of them, just in case She saw. Sephiroth didn't want anything to jeopardize his relationship with Meia. Even if they never had the courage to open up to each other, he was content. For what she gave him even now was enough. Enough to keep him longing, enough to give him contentment. He didn't want to lose that…

"Well hello there" The sound of the woman's voice brought him out of his thoughts. It would seem a brush off was going to be needed. He only hoped she would get the message,

"Miss, if you're looking for Genesis I think he went to socialise with the theatre group…" He stated politely with a respective nod of his head. But she simply smirked and stepped closer to him,

"Oh no, I'm not looking for Genesis, I was looking for you…" She purred. Sephiroth groaned inwardly and remained silent. He tried sidestepping her but she blocked his path,

"Why don't we go somewhere a little more private? Get to know each other…" She said, reaching for his chest. He gently but firmly blocked her advance, sweeping her hand to her side again,

"I don't think that would be appropriate" He said firmly, looking away from her. But she wouldn't give up without a fight,

"Don't worry, Genesis will never know. And your little friend has said its ok…"

"Little friend?" He hoped she didn't mean Meia…

"The girl your with, Maria? She said I can have you all to myself…"

"It's Meia. Did she now…" He highly doubted it, but a tiny voice in the back of his mind taunted him, "I'm sorry, but I'm not interested" And this time he moved past her, despite another attempt to keep him there. He closed his eyes and frowned, did Meia really say that? He returned to the table, Meia was sitting by herself sneakily finishing off the remaining finger food. Callo and his partner were turned and talking to people behind them and there was no sign of his colleagues. He sat down gently beside her, prompting her to sigh with relief,

"Oh thank goodness. I thought you'd bailed without me" She laughed nervously at him. He looked at her for a moment. She was so beautiful and strong, yet so fragile. He couldn't help himself and he allowed his feelings to surface while she was distracted by her surroundings. His eyes lingered over her body, her features. She was fit and powerful thanks to her SOLDIER training, but somehow she still retained her soft feminine beauty. She was a rose with thorns, exquisite, soft, but more than capable of looking out for herself. And her emotional vulnerability. That which caused his feelings to swirl and stir in a tempest inside him. Awakening Instincts that he couldn't make sense of. He wanted to protect her, to guide her, to hold her. To love her.

His heart ached and he looked away. Always the sickening feeling would come to him when he lost himself to her. The guilt over what he'd done in the past and recently, reared its ugly head. And the fear. The fear that she would distance herself from him if he opened his heart and exposed his pain. But he'd shown her a glimpse and she hadn't run. Indeed, it made them closer. That night in his apartment. He closed his eyes and felt her hand on his head once more. The weight of it barely there yet he could feel her warmth, her compassion. He'd never felt anything like it in his life. It made him woozy with comfort, made him long for more of her touch. He realised just how much his body and soul yearned for it. He almost felt as if he could be done with the harsh, cold battles, and lose himself in the feeling of contentment.

He looked down as he felt a small pressure on his arm,

"Are you ok?" Meia said quietly, fixing him with her eyes. He smiled a little and nodded,

"Meia…Genesis's date. Did she…say anything to you?" He asked quietly. Meia pursed her lips in thought,

"Only…that she assumed we were, you know…a couple" She answered him sheepishly. He noted the flush appearing on her cheeks,

"And nothing else?"

Meia shook her head slightly, "No, nothing. But…"She lowered her voice further and leaned a little closer to him, "I don't like her, Sephiroth. She hasn't taken her eyes off you all night. I feel sorry for Genesis" She finished, looking down at the embellishments on Sephiroth's cuff. He nodded and looked around. Guests were all intermingling now, a small orchestra was setting up on stage and more champagne was being handed out by waiters. The dancing would start soon. He was astounded to find himself actually looking forward to it somewhat. He looked down again at the silver strands decorating Meia's hair. He wanted to dance with her, properly this time. He was worried what his body would do again, but with this many distractions, she might not notice.

"Sephiroth? Can we get some air? It's getting a little stuffy in here…" She asked him quietly. He nodded and rose, offering her his arm. But as they walked into a corridor that would lead them to a secluded area outside, they heard voices. And they didn't sound happy…

"Is this where you have been all night? Hanging around like a stray animal?" It was defiantly Genesis's voice. Sephiroth and Meia stopped and listened, darting quickly into a side corridor. They had no desire to walk into an awkward scene…

"Well…what do you expect? You've hardly looked my way all evening! I had to find something to do with myself"

"I've been busy, I'm sorry but I can't devote all my time to you. This is a social event…"

"Hmpf"

"Please don't be like this; what have you been doing anyway?"

"Oh, just…meeting people"

"People? Who?"

There was a long, awkward pause,

"Oh never mind, Genesis. I'm going home…"

"You've been trying to see Him…haven't you?

"I said never mind, Genesis!"

"It's true, isn't it? You're telling me you only came here for a chance to meet Sephiroth?"

"Look I…"

"I don't believe this…is this your whole motive for dating me? To get to him? You think I haven't noticed the way you've been looking at him all evening?"

"Ok, fine! If it's what you want to hear, Yes. I used you to get to him, happy? Half the women here are doing the same thing. But don't worry; he's as frigid as you are! Wouldn't even so much as look at me…Goodbye Genesis!"

Meia's stomach lurched. This is exactly what she was afraid of, this wouldn't help the delicate mood between friends…She jumped as Genesis walked past them and stopped, a dark expression on his face. He smelt of alcohol and cigarette smoke. The tension was almost unbearable; neither of them spoke for a few moments before Sephiroth tried,

"Genesis…I'm…"

"Save it, alright? I don't want to hear it" Genesis stated firmly. Sephiroth tilted his head and pursed his lips, but Genesis turned to him. There was fury in his eyes,

"I'm sick and tired of being in your shadow!" He hissed under his breath, "You have it all, don't you? The fame, the glory, the skill…the woman" He nodded his head at Meia, who recoiled slightly. She didn't want to get in the middle of this…

"Please, Genesis, You think I mean for things like this to happen?"

"It wouldn't surprise me, you arrogant bastard…"

"Arrogant? Me?" Sephiroth raised his head and narrowed his eyes, "I think you ought to quit while your ahead, Genesis"

"No, don't talk to me like a child, Sephiroth, you have no right! Maybe now when women approach me, I should just give them your number instead"

"Genesis…I had nothing to do with what happened. She cornered me, yes, but I made it clear I wasn't interested…"

"That has nothing to do with it! How would you like it? How would you feel if for instance Meia here…told you that all along she just wanted to use you to get to Angeal or Lazard? How would that make you feel? Like second best?"

"Don't drag Meia into this…" Sephiroth was starting to anger, "She has nothing to do with your issues"

"My issues? So now I have issues and Mr Perfect gets to walk away?" Genesis's voice finally rose above a hiss and with a growl, he seized Sephiroth's collar and slammed him into the wall of the main corridor. Meia had to move out the way quickly and she watched in horror as the two friends fought,

"Try being second best, Sephiroth, see how it feels. I just had my heart chewed up and spit out because of you. Everything that goes wrong now is because of you!" He spat, pushing Sephiroth into the wall. Sephiroth was trying his best to remain calm, he wouldn't lose his temper in front of Meia and right now, his resentment for Genesis was growing. How dare he do this in front of her…

"All the news ever says is Sephiroth this, Hero that. You're not the only hero!" Genesis continued his tirade. Meia's eyebrows tightened, this wasn't fair…

"Genesis, Heroes are chosen by the media…he didn't volunteer for this, can't you see? Your jealousy is blinding you"

"Shut up, Meia. You think he's Mr Perfect? You should see him when he's killing people" Genesis had turned his venom on her and he wasn't holding back, "He enjoys it. He's a monst-" But Genesis couldn't finish. With extraordinary speed and precision, Sephiroth broke Genesis's hold on him and sent him flying into the opposite wall with a sickening crunch. Meia covered her mouth in shock,

"Stop this, both of you! You'll hurt each other!" She pleaded, but they weren't listening,

"Oh, you haven't shown her the real you then? Want to get your money's worth before you send her running?" Genesis challenged, holding the back of his head. He'd got his rise out of Sephiroth but he realised his last sentence may have taken it a step too far. A look of shock crossed his face when Sephiroth's fish slammed into his jaw, sending him sprawling on the floor. With a deep growl, Sephiroth got down on one knee and lifted him by his collar,

"I said leave her be…how dare you. You DO have issues, Genesis, but don't you dare project them onto her" He said, his voice was deep and dangerous. Meia couldn't see his eyes but she wasn't sure she wanted to. In the next instance, Angeal's figure appeared at the end of the hall and, a look of horror crossing his face; he sprinted down to the warring friends,

"Put him down, Sephiroth!" He demanded. Sephiroth complied with a sigh of frustration and got up,

"He'll be fine, once he sobers up. I didn't do anything to harm him…" He said steadily, his composure seemingly restored. Angeal helped Genesis up and looked between them, confusion and anger on his face,

"What the hell happened here? What were you thinking?" He demanded, not unlike a father scolding his children. Genesis looked at Sephiroth's back and then at Meia,

"Just a misunderstanding, it won't happen again…" He said, his voice back to normal and almost apologetic. Sephiroth marched off without a word, heading outside. Meia went to follow him but Angeal spoke again,

"What aren't you telling me…Meia, Genesis" He insisted, causing her to turn to him. She looked at Genesis, who was touching his cheek gingerly,

"They had a falling out over a girl" She answered when it was clear Genesis wasn't going too, "And it got out of hand…"

Angeal crossed his arms and shook his head. Genesis simply shrugged and walked off back to the main hall. Angeal turned to Meia,

"If you're going to find him, be careful. Sephiroth is a dangerous man, Meia…I don't know anyone who would want to be with him when he's angry"

"Not true, you know me. I don't fear him, Angeal"

"He might want to be alone…"

"And he might want someone to be with him. The least I can do is see if he's ok" And with that, she walked off after Sephiroth. Angeal sighed and rubbed his temple. Maybe she was right, maybe Sephiroth was tired of being alone. As far as he knew, people had always feared and respected him and kept their distance when he was having a tough time. So how could anyone know that's what he truly wanted? Maybe it was time for him to let go of taking care of Sephiroth. Maybe Meia was more suited. Angeal shook his head slightly and turned in the opposite direction to follow Genesis.

Meia hitched up her dress slightly and ran to the end of the corridor. She had two choices, take a stairwell that was to her right or head through the door outside. She decided on the latter, leaning against the bar that unlatched the door and stepping outside. The evening was noticeably colder now and her skin prickled, a shiver running down her spine. She had a good look, even heading away from the venue slightly but there was no sign of her friend. She bit her lip; he was fast enough that if he wanted too, he could be miles away by now. She hoped she was doing the right thing by looking for him.

Quickly she ran back inside and took her first option, scaling the long flight of stairs quickly and emerging onto an upper corridor. A flustered looking staff member passed her and jogged down the stairs behind her. Meia was again faced with two choices so she marched up the corridor that ran parallel to the one below. The sound of an orchestra playing gradually got louder as she walked, she must be close to the upper galleries of the event hall. Moments later, the wall on her left was replaced with glass doors and she could see the upper seating and balconies of the first floor auditorium. Several couples had retreated there for more privacy, but no Sephiroth. Meia's eyebrows drew together and she kept going, following the upper level round until she was behind the stage. The music was much louder here, she could see the rigging and set behind the main stage but there was still no sign of Sephiroth. Frustrated and worried, she held a hand to her head and rubbed it. Where else could he have gone? She backed up slightly, noticing a grand row of doors behind her. They looked like they opened out into a much larger area beyond and were exquisitely crafted and painted. She also noticed a cold breeze on her toes, one of the doors was ajar ever so slightly. She stepped forward and pushed it gently, it was unlocked and yielded to her so she stepped through. The area beyond was a large balcony, obviously used as another entertainment area but not tonight it would seem. It wasn't lit, the only light came from the city beyond it. But her eyes fell on a figure standing at the balcony's edge, a curtain of silver floating in the wind. She'd found him.

Meia swallowed despite herself and took a gentle step forward, closing the door again behind her. Slowly she approached the balcony's edge, the wind suddenly catching her as she emerged into the open night air, blowing her dress and hair away from her. Sephiroth hadn't moved but she was sure he knew she was here. She stopped still some way behind him and spoke quietly,

"I'm glad I found you, I was worried…" She paused but got no reply. Sighing she turned slightly,

"If you want to be alone, I understand. But if you want me to stay, you just need to ask" Still there was no reply, so she began walking back, her heart slightly heavy…

"Wait, Meia…it's alright, please…stay" He said suddenly, his voice barely above a whisper yet still it was clear. She turned again and joined him at the balcony's edge, resting her hands on it and peering over. An artificially supported garden was below them, lit softly by blue coloured lamps.

"Angeal warned me not to find you. Told me you were dangerous when you were angry…" She said quietly, still taking in the garden below them. Sephiroth's shoulder's shook slightly,

"Did he now. I'm glad you ignored him" He replied, he sounded tired and harassed. Meia had never heard him like this before, it was almost sad,

"Well, I told him it wouldn't hurt to see if you were okay. If you wanted me to leave that's fair enough but…I had to make sure"

"Thank you, Meia. Do you want to know something?" He looked down at her leaning on the edge of the balcony, her hair floating in the wind. She nodded and acknowledged him, "If it were anyone else, I would have told them to leave"

Meia smiled and stood again, "Am I that special?"

Sephiroth observed her a few moments, a gentle smile on his lips, before turning his gaze back on the city,

"I'm sorry, I wanted you to enjoy tonight Meia" He said, sadness tinged his voice again, "I certainly didn't want it to end like this" He hung his head and sighed. Meia covered his hand with her and squeezed it,

"I have enjoyed it. No one has treated me to an evening like this before. The dress, the glamour…I forgot all about being a SOLDIER for a few hours. Don't let a few heated words between friends take away from that"

Sephiroth shook his head, "I wish…Genesis could understand. I'd give it all to him in a heartbeat if I could" He began again quietly, "I don't know why he's so jealous of it all"

"It's just who he is, I think. He's the type who likes the spotlight, enjoys the praise and attention"

"Perhaps…"

They stood in silence for a while simply staring out into the city. The sounds of the night met their ears. Car brakes, the odd drunken row, laughter and of course, the orchestra playing behind them,

"We never got to dance in the end, did we?" Meia said quietly after a while. Sephiroth looked up at the face of a large clock tower some blocks away. It was nearly midnight now and the air was quite cold. He looked down at Meia, noting the tiny goose bumps on her skin. He pulled his hand out from under hers and unhooked the shoulder cape from his jacket, before removing it and draping it over her shoulders,

"Wait here" He told her gently, before striding back to the doors and opening one a little. The sounds coming from the orchestra got louder and he walked back to her and placed his hands on her shoulders, "We still can if you like, the music is loud enough"

His voice sent a shiver down her spine. It was different again. His words were uttered like honey coated silk, deep and sensual. Meia turned and nodded to him, smiling. He stepped back and bowed to her slightly before offering his hand. She giggled slightly and accepted it, allowing him to take her in his arms and support her, his hand on her back, cradling her weight firmly. Finally he stepped close and they began to dance to the music, carried to them on the nights wind.

Meia tried to stop her heart from pounding, certain that he could hear it or at least feel it. But gradually she gave up and simply let him lead her over the balcony. There was no fighting it this time; her feelings were immense, welling up inside her like a flood. She noticed everything about him. His strong muscles beneath his uniform, the way his feet barely made a sound on the floor. He was powerful and strong, but so graceful, so majestic. He was sweeping her away with his movements, carrying her to another place where only they existed.

_I can't deny it anymore…I just can't. Please, don't reject me…_

Sephiroth's stomach fluttered as Meia rested her head against his collarbone, where he felt her exhale and melt against him. He blinked and looked down at the top of her head. He could feel her heart thumping away against his torso and he was sure she could hear his beneath her ear. He slowed his pace to a gentle, drifting step, and allowed his feelings to surface. He was tired of hiding himself from her, tired of protecting himself from someone he trusted. He bent his head slightly and took in her scent, the warmth coming from her head. It was familiar to him now and it comforted him, made him forget.

As he held her close, the chime of the clock tower rang out above the music coming from the hall below them, signalling a new day. A special day. Gently he steered her back to the balcony's edge, where he stopped, prompting her to pull away questioningly,

"I was afraid this evening would be ruined, but I'm glad we made it to midnight" He stated quietly, looking out at the illuminated face of the clock, "I have something for you…"

Meia stepped back, a look of confusion on her face, as Sephiroth reached into the jacket she was wearing and pulled out a small box from the inside pocket. She hadn't even noticed it while they were dancing. She looked up at him,

"Something for me? But…why?" She questioned him. He smiled down at her and laughed softly,

"I know what today is, Meia. Here…" And he handed her the object he'd retrieved from his coat. She took it gently and looked at him with questioning eyes. Finally, she carefully removed the paper it was bound in and lifted the lid, a look of wonder manifesting across her features,

"Happy Birthday, Meia" Sephiroth whispered. Meia was dumbstruck, inside the box, nestled in a bed of satin, was a beautiful bracelet. Made from marbled blue mythril, it was adorned with dozens of round clear jewels, like morning dew sprinkled on grass. And one jewel was blue and luminous and hung, encased in a delicate lattice. Sephiroth lifted it free and held her wrist so he could fasten it for her,

"I had it made to match your necklace. Now you have the beginnings of a set" He spoke softly and finished fastening it about her wrist. Meia held it to her necklace about her neck and admired them together, before looking up at him with watery eyes,

"Thank you…I love it, I don't know what to say" She stuttered. He knew about her birthday and he'd kept it as a surprise. She felt overwhelmed and a tear slid down her cheek, where it was gently wiped away by Sephiroth's thumb,

"You don't have to say anything" He said with a gentle smile, "What do you say to escaping and grabbing some food?"

Meia opened her mouth but her stomach spoke for her and she held it, causing Sephiroth to laugh and head off towards the doors. Meia watched his back and wiped another tear away. His dance would have been enough of a gift for her and she smiled a wide, genuine smile, before following him, admiring her gift sparkling in the dim light.

* * *

Daaawwww. Ive been dying to write a good bit of fluff. They are slowly getting there! And I think a merry drunk Lazard would be fun to hang out with, what do you think? Hahaha!

Next chapter - After the fiasco of the awards gala, things settle down again. But Meia's luck can't hold forever as she is forced to endure her first injection administered by Hojo. And she harbors an uneasy feeling about the next mission she is assigned too with Sephiroth...

Please reveiw if you have a spare few moments, It means alot to me :)


	23. Chapter 22 Hojo

Hello everyone, hope you're all well and hunky dory :) Where does that even come from o,O; Again, this took a while but as usual Ive written several chapters out at once, so don't panic (assuming you even were in the first place...which I doubt, lol -_-;)

My usual thanks to everyone who reads this, and my big thanks to my regular reviewers :) Though you're probably sick of me saying that now, hurrr _;

**Sephiroth, final fantasy vii and original story are copyright too Square enix and this is a work of fandom, not for profit. All i own is Meia. **(feeds her cookies)

**Chapter 22**

"She will be given twice her last dose this time"

"Are you sure, Hojo Sir?"

"Of course I'm sure you simpleton"

"It's just that…we don't know she'll be able to absorb it. Even with the recent modifications to her body"

"If she can't absorb the excess, her body will simply expel it. The boy did it; I don't see why she can't"

"You're son you mean?"

"Silence! Watch your mouth, this lab isn't secure. How many times must I remind you?"

"…sorry Sir"

* * *

The third class SOLDIER's hand trembled as he felt the deceptively delicate looking neck for a pulse. Swallowing, his own heart stopped a moment before a feint thump could be felt beneath his fingertips. He let loose a sigh of relief and knelt before the limp form in front of him,

"Ma'am? Uh…Sir? Can you hear me?" His hand reached out to shake the shoulder of the passed out SOLDIER on the floor in front of him. A mild groan escaped Meia's lips as she came too. Her head was splitting with pain, her eyes were hazy and her whole body felt drained and weak,

"Oh thank goodness, I was about to get someone. Are you ok? What happened to you?" The small teen in front of her spoke again. She lifted a hand and waved him off; rubbing her eyes with her other hand. As far as she could tell, she was still in the training room. As far as she could remember, she was training with a new set of weapons she'd found in the armoury. But that's when it got hazy. The small Third class got up and looked around, appearing to be locating her borrowed weapons; a pair of short katanas. Meia tried to sit up but her body protested and so she was forced to endure her uncomfortable sprawl against the wall a little longer,

"Are you ok Ma'am? Can I help you?"

"What's your name, SOLDIER?" She croaked dryly, suddenly overcome with the urge to drink something,

"Renji, Sir…uh Ma'am"

"Sir is fine, Renji. Meia…is even better" She managed a lopsided smile. The small boy laughed nervously, the twin swords cradled in his arms delicately. Meia then managed to push herself up into a more comfortable position, her lungs gasping for air. What had happened to her?

"Are there any other SOLDIER's around, Renji?" She asked him.

"I can have a look Sir"

"Would you? Also, a bottle of water would be much appreciated as well" She smiled at him as he jogged off out the room, her weapons placed gently at her side first. He must be from the latest intake, Meia thought to herself. Gradually, her body began to regain some movement though the peculiar sensation, mimicking alcohol, still ran thick through her veins.

Sometime later, Renji reappeared clutching a bottle of water from the vending machine,

"Here you go, Sir. I couldn't find anyone else so I left a note in the briefing room" He panted, kneeling down beside her again and handing the bottle over. Meia nodded, unscrewing the lid and taking several long, deep slugs, almost draining half the bottle in one go. Renji was looking at her still, so she smiled, despite feeling quite awkward,

"Are you ok, Renji? You look like you've seen a ghost" She chuckled to him. The teen held up his hands and shook them,

"Oh no, I'm sorry Sir I didn't meant to stare, it's just…well I only joined last week and already I've seen some crazy things. Will my life ever be normal again?" He joked, attempting to lighten the mood.

Meia tipped her head back and laughed, before chocking on the action and coughing, "Ah, no Renji, I'm afraid not" He nodded and folded his hands in his lap, looking around the room,

"It's so amazing here, it was worth the trip. Hopefully I can make my family proud of me, be a hero, y'know?" He offered up after a moment's pause. Meia looked at him. Always the same reason, to be a Hero…

"Why do you want to be a hero, Renji?" She asked him quietly.

"Ah, to make everyone back home proud. The fame….y'know" He laughed nervously,

"Be careful what you wish for, Renji. Making your family proud…I think that's reason enough, don't you?" She fixed him with her eyes and tilted her head. His cheeks flushed and he nodded quickly,

"Yea…I guess"

Meia nodded back and tried to get up, refusing Renji's help when he offered. Managing to stand, though only barely, she leant on the wall for support. Her head swam ominously and for a brief moment, felt like passing out all over again, but she held her ground. Renji looked worried,

"Sir…why are you so sick? I thought SOLDIER's were the toughest of the tough. I didn't think anything could get to them"

Meia observed him for a moment before confirming in her mind what she already knew, Mako fatigue. Only Renji didn't need to know that, no one did except her First class colleagues,

"I've been pushing myself hard lately, Renji, and I may have skipped a meal or two along the line. I'm alright, really, just need some food…"

"I can get that too if you like Sir" Renji piped up enthusiastically. Meia laughed, holding her ribcage as she did so. Damn, it was really bad this time…

"No Renji, you don't need to do that for me. Just follow my advice, don't skip meals" She added with a chuckle and a gasp. The small teen nodded and took a step back as Meia finally summoned the strength to push herself away from the wall. Taking a shaky step forward, she swayed and held her head. Should she call for a medic after all? She noticed her subordinate fighting to keep himself from reaching out and supporting her,

"If you want to help, Renji, grab my swords again would you?" She instructed. Eventually she managed to put one foot in front of the other and make it out of the training room, where she staggered to the table and chairs by the window overlooking the city. Renji placed her weapons on the table and backed off,

"Can I help you with anything else, Sir?" He asked, saluting her this time. Meia shook her head and smiled at him,

"No Renji, thank you for all you've done" She said sincerely, noticing heavy footfalls approaching the recreation area. She looked up as Genesis spotted her and headed over to where she was sitting, noting Renji's salute becoming stiffer as he appeared to be holding his breath,

"I got the note, everything alright?" He drawled in his usual accent, noting the rookie standing on his right. Meia nodded and dismissed Renji, before finishing her water. Genesis took a seat next to her and crossed his legs,

"Fatigue?" He said quietly, prompting a nod from Meia, "I see" His eyes fixed on the swords arranged neatly on the table, "I wonder why you're getting it, it's very odd. The fact you're being injected at all is odd of course but…" He trailed off, holding his chin and pondering silently. Meia observed him before leaning back and closing her eyes.

Genesis was back to normal. Normal for him, at least. The following days after the gala he was apparently nowhere to be seen, avoiding Angeal and Sephiroth all together. Then on her last day off in the evening, he showed up at her room offering his apologies…

"May I come in, Meia?"

She fixed him with her blue eyes, narrowing them a little, "I don't see why not. Don't mind the mess" She gestured him in and closed the door behind him. Genesis stepped over her discarded clothing and around the stacks of magazines that were presenting a tripping hazard. Meia moved past him and sat on the edge of her bed,

"So what brings you here? I'm assuming it's to do with what happened in the middle of the week" She asked him straight away, not wanting to beat around the bush. She knew full well that's why he was here. His eyes were currently looking over the spread of miscellaneous objects adorning her desk, before coming to rest on the box containing her necklace and bracelet,

"It is…" He began, still avoiding her eyes, "I apologise for my behaviour, Meia, I let myself get carried away"

"Have you apologised to Sephiroth?" She said immediately, with a little more force than she intended…

"I have. He wasn't impressed. Then again, he hardly ever is…" Genesis replied with a sigh,

"Do you blame him? You went off on him for something that's beyond his control"

"Is it though?" Finally Genesis looked at her, speaking before she could voice what was on her mind, "Think about it. What if Shinra is glorifying him? What if Shinra is glorifying all of the First classes?"

"What do you mean?"

"For publicity. It's no secret that every first class has an official fan club" Genesis mused with a snort, "They fund our activity's outside the company, too. As long as they are good, clean fun…" He finished, crossing his arms over his chest. Meia's head tilted,

"You're saying they publicise and glorify SOLDIER to use as advertisements for the company? Like possessions or…publicity tools?"

Genesis nodded, "It seems Sephiroth is their pride and joy. I doubt anyone could compete with him" He said quietly, "Well, I should head off. Take care Meia" He nodded to her and saw himself out. But his words haunted Meia and she frowned. Their pride and joy? Sephiroth wasn't a possession, he was a person…

…

..

The metallic clink of sliding metal caused Meia to open her eyes again. Genesis was fiddling with the katanas on the table,

"You think you'll stick to duel wielding when you make First?" He asked her, running his fingers along the metal of the blades. Meia sighed and held her head,

"Perhaps. I'm trying out a few different styles at the moment, considering I no longer have to attend lectures or lessons" She replied, sitting up and rubbing her numb legs. Genesis nodded and placed them down again,

"We should take you shooting with us, see if you like that"

"Shooting?"

"Not guns shooting, archery. You think Sephiroth would shoot a gun willingly? He hates them…probably why he looks down his nose at Turks as well…" Genesis mused, looking at her with a cocked eyebrow. She couldn't be bothered to form a retort and just grunted instead. Eventually he dismissed himself and Meia summoned the strength to head to the canteen for her last real meal before the inevitable mako injection the following day.

* * *

As usual, he didn't bother waiting for the helicopter to touch all the way down before leaping out. Catching and containing his wildly out of control, rotary blade swept hair; Sephiroth strode off the helipad atop the Shinra building and headed to a stairwell. He was in no rush to arrive at the lab for his injection, although he knew putting it off was pointless. The doors slid open to allow him access and he began descending the stairs at a steady pace.

He'd just arrived home after having to spend two weeks at Junon training a specialist infantry group. He loathed every second of it. Apparently they were the brightest and most capable Heidegger had to offer. If that was the case, he could see why the infantry were failing so hard lately. Another floor down, only a few more to go. He worked hard to will the pain in his head to leave. As usual, he hadn't eaten anything for a few days and he'd had no time to relax before he was flown in. There was a high chance that the bottle of water he'd consumed on his way in would make an appearance once more.

Finally he arrived at the floor that housed the science departments labs, his body not tired in the slightest. Still, he took a deep breath before entering the lab. Hojo had an effect on him like fuel to a fire…

"Hewley next. Arm" Hojo barked from the area of the lab containing the injection equipment. Angeal climbed onto the table as usual and held his arm out, a look of indignity on his face. Meia crossed her arms. So this was Professor Hojo. The very sight of him made her skin prickle with unease. And the way he'd looked at her when she entered the lab, as if he was peering through her skin into her soul and chilling it. She shook off a tremble of fear and calmed herself.

The man's bedside manner was as abhorrent as he apparently was. Then again, he was a scientist not a doctor. And not the kind of scientist that would be winning awards for his contributions to humanity she'd wager. Soft footsteps made her turn her head and she offered a small consolation smile to her harassed looking friend who took up a position on her right. Another retch in the shadows to her left, Genesis wasn't doing very well today at all…

"Rhapsodos! Get out if you're going to continue your pathetic gagging" Hojo snapped in his direction, yanking shut the last restraint on Angeal with more force than was necessary. Meia opened her mouth to protest; already her temper was wearing thin with the man. But Sephiroth's hand on her forearm along with a shake of the head caused her to refrain from speaking her mind. The two of them looked on as Angeal was administered his phial of mako, his body tensing and struggling in sheer pain and discomfort. Meia closed her eyes and swallowed her own fear yet again. She didn't want to give this sick man the pleasure of seeing the horror coming from her.

"You're next boy. Get your shirt off ready, your late enough as it is" Hojo commanded, pushing his glasses up his nose. Sephiroth sighed in frustration and did as he was told. A muscle was twitching in his jaw; the irritation working its way into his body was plain to see. As with the last time, Sephiroth took his dose far better than the others despite its larger size. But Meia was saddened to see him bring something up in the sink on the far wall. The sound of him retching was by far the most unnerving thing she'd heard in a long time.

"Now, LeSait, your turn. Up here now" Hojo ordered her. He was wearing a leering smile; he seemed much more pleased to be injecting her that he was with any of the others. Meia narrowed her eyes and removed her shirt, but as she did so, Hojo stepped closer,

"You may want to lose that attitude, LeSait, it won't get you anywhere" He sneered at her, gesturing towards Sephiroth with his head. Meia clenched her jaw and said nothing, hopping onto the table and holding out her arm so Hojo could take her blood pressure,

"This is your third administration and by far your largest" He said, pumping the armband tighter than was necessary. Meia winched as she felt the pinch, largest?

"My dose is higher? Why?"

"Don't ask questions" Hojo snapped, "You wouldn't understand even if I did tell you" He finished vehemently. Meia scowled,

"Wouldn't I now" She muttered under her breath. Hojo smirked,

"I hear you collapsed during training yesterday. Fatigue again, was it?" Meia's eyes flicked to Sephiroth who had heard, "Of course I can lower the dose. But if I did…you would collapse a lot sooner, with much more dire consequences, would you like that, LeSait?"

Meia swallowed, watching Sephiroth's eyebrow tighten in concern. She hadn't told him yet…

"No professor, of course not" She said reluctantly. Laying down, her skin crawled as Hojo reached over her to fasten the restraints on the table. His lab coat stank of chemicals and other scents she couldn't work out, his prominent almost wheezy breathing made her shudder with utter revulsion. She didn't like the man, not one bit. After only thirty minutes with him Meia had already figured that out. Eventually he was done and the table was righted ready for the syringe to be plunged through her shoulder…

Genesis's skin had a green tinge to it that wasn't necessarily all to do with the glow coming from the mako. He swallowed, his throat felt swollen and convulsive, ready to bring up more stomach contents if needed. Even if all there was to bring up was acid…

Angeal's brow was furrowed with concern; his skin too had seen better days. He turned to Sephiroth, who had just re-joined them,

"Why do you think it's larger?" He whispered under his breath to the tall man. Sephiroth took a steadying breath and shook his head. The fact she was injected at all was still a fresh concern in his mind, but now the dose was higher he was even more worried. The phial was almost as big as Genesis's and he watched it hover in front of Meia's pale shoulder. Her face was a stoic mask of defiance, her eyes closed; she was attempting to block everything out. The liquid began its violation of her body and inwardly Sephiroth apologised to her. But he wouldn't show affection in front of this man. Meia would have to endure this on her own now. His jaw tightened as a look of sheer horror overcame his friend, her eyes widened and her mouth opened in a silent scream. She strained against her restraints, so much so her hands began turning blue through lack of circulation. Genesis stood up beside him and watched also, his expression grim,

"Stop looking so pathetic over there" Hojo sneered over his shoulder. Sephiroth's hands balled into fists but the sound of Meia's bloodcurdling scream brought him round. Something was wrong, Sephiroth knew because when he was young…this happened to him…

Angeal stood up quickly as he realised as well something wasn't right. By now Meia had regained control but barely. Her eyes were squeezed shut and her jaw was clenched tight. Hojo chuckled,

"Don't break your teeth woman, that would be a shame wouldn't it?" He said flippantly. She opened her eyes and glared at him with such hatred it alarmed her three friends. But still all the fluid wasn't in, there was about a quarter left to administer. Sephiroth forced himself to watch, knowing full well what was going to happen to her and sure enough, his fears were realised. Meia coughed and hacked through pain wracked lungs and to her horror, mako and blood came up from her throat. Then she felt a dribble down her face and realised her nose was bleeding also. She squeezed her eyes shut but she felt thick, warm tears there as well. She was almost done but the pain was now unbearable and she let out a deep scream, chocking on it and bringing up a hefty amount of luminous blood,

_Please, Gaia please let me pass out, I can't take this!_

But no sooner had she finished her thoughts the injection was over. But Meia felt utterly devastated. She was released from her restraints where she fell forward onto the floor at Hojo's feet in a crumpled mess. The man stepped back as if in disgust and muttered something under his breath, jotting notes down onto his clipboard. Finally he simply pushed his glasses up his nose and left, without a word to anyone.

Meia wretched, but it wasn't vomit she was clearing, it was blood. It had escaped from her mouth, nose, eyes, even her ears. She brought a shaky hand to her mouth and wiped the blood away, trying to stand in the process. But her legs were numb and she simply didn't have the strength. She felt so angry, so used, that she didn't even ask for help.

Genesis and Angeal looked at her with pity and remorse. Neither of them had seen anything like it. Neither of them had been pushed as far. But Sephiroth knew. He too was angry, it simmered below the surface, and it threatened to overtake him. Thoughts were actually running through his mind, convincing him to follow Hojo and run him through. Or set fire to the lab…he would just move to another one, of course. Finally he composed himself and pushed his anger deep down inside again. Right now, his friend was in need. Sephiroth scouted the lab for some sterile cloth and water, before crouching over Meia and hiding her from view. Angeal and Genesis left, getting the message, but waited outside.

Sephiroth placed his hand on her shoulder gently and stroked it with his thumb. Her skin would be tender and even sore in some places. Her body was so overwhelmed with mako it was forced into every available space. And the pain wouldn't leave her as easily as it did last time,

"Sephiroth…" She croaked, "I can't even…lift my head. That man, that awful man… what did he do to me?" She slurred, even her speech was impaired. Sephiroth was reluctant to touch her in case he hurt her,

"Save your strength, Meia" He advised her gently. She let out the smallest of sobs before recomposing herself,

"Please…my knees, my skin…they hurt, would you mind helping me stand?" She asked shakily. Sephiroth nodded and helped her up, trying hard to ignore her hisses of pain. She reached for her shirt and managed to pull it on before she swayed and almost lost her footing. But Sephiroth was there to support her. She cracked a sad smile,

"I think…I'll pass on going out again this time" She managed, "Will this ever get any easier?"

Sephiroth's eyes betrayed the worry he felt as he looked at her and shook his head. She shrugged and allowed herself to be helped to a seat, where Sephiroth gently cleaned the blood from her face,

"When were you going to tell me you'd collapsed again?" He asked her after a moment, dabbing at the blood in the corner of her mouth. She shook her head,

"I didn't want to bother you with it. Judging by your last email, you weren't having the best time in Junon" She answered quietly. Sephiroth fixed her with his eyes,

"I would have preferred to know. Something is going on with you, Meia, I don't know what but Hojo is up to something…"

She nodded and winced as a shooting pain lanced through her skull, "Same thing as always, I assume? No one will tell you anything?"

He shook his head, frustration apparent on his face. He felt so incredibly helpless it was driving him to distraction. All he could do was wipe up her blood and pick up the pieces; he could do nothing to help her, nothing to help himself. Nothing within his rights, at least, and he was forced yet again to push feelings of dark hatred back where they couldn't harm anyone. He pursed his lips and began dabbing at her eyes gently. Meia let out a shaky sigh,

"This has happened to you, hasn't it…?" She said suddenly, her voice was quiet. Sephiroth stopped what he was doing and looked at her. How did she know? But the hesitation was all the confirmation Meia needed. She smiled a sad, apologetic smile,

"I could tell from the look on your face. I'm sorry if it was inappropriate of me to say…"

Sephiroth resumed his cleaning and shook his head gently, "It wasn't, don't worry about it" Now would be the perfect time to show her a part of himself. He hesitated and sat back on his heels, "It has, but I was much younger than you" He started solemnly, "The first time it happened I thought I was coming apart at the seams. I thought I was dying, the agony was far too much for a child to bear"

Meia looked up at him, her eyes heavy with emotion, "A child…you were only a child?"

Sephiroth nodded, "I was four, Meia. At four years old I received my first overdose. Hojo tried to administer too much and it found ways to seep out of my system"

Meia blinked and looked away. Four…"How sad. This is all you've known, isn't it? Shinra, fighting…" She whispered, her face falling when Sephiroth nodded and cast his eyes down, "Have they told you anything? Your parents? Why they have to do this?"

"All I know is my mother's name…and her fate, that's it" He looked at her with bright mako soaked eyes, "She died after she gave birth to me, her name was Jenova"

"Jenova…" Meia repeated…why did that name sound familiar? Her eyes glazed over as her mind wandered, that name bothered her…

_Jenova….._

_I am ancient, I….am absolute! _

Meia's eyes flicked wildly before she regained her composure. Sephiroth was watching her, his head tilted in concern,

"What's the matter?" He asked gently. Meia shook her head, instantly regretting it as it swam,

"Nothing…Jenova, are you sure?"

He nodded, "That's all I know"

As he helped her to her feet, the blood cleaned from her face, Meia couldn't shake the feeling of unease that came over her. The name of his mother…it provoked feelings of familiarity, but not good feelings. Distant, painful memories that she felt she'd rather forget. She couldn't work it out. She had never heard the name before, yet it was coated in nostalgia, memories. Whatever it was, she didn't like it at all.

_Several days later. 49__th__ floor – Director Lazard's office._

Meia stepped out of the lift into the highly organized office space. She was feeling better now. Indeed, she was astonished at how well she had recovered. Last time it took her a while to feel better, and the first time was awful. Plain and simple. But after a coffee brought by a friend, a good night's sleep and a massive breakfast, all she retained of the terrible day before was a slight headache.

She strode forward to the door in front of her and requested permission to enter, which was granted, and Meia stepped into Lazard's office. It smelt like coffee and a faint hint of cigarette smoke. Maybe the director smoked? Or maybe his friends did. Either way it was none of her business. Turning the corner, she was greeted with her director's usual smile and a simple look of greeting from Sephiroth, who was perched on a desk to Lazard's right.

"You summoned me, Director?" She said, standing to a sharp salute. Lazard waved her out of it and nodded,

"Yes, a mission has come up that we'd like you to handle"

"Me, Sir?"

"Well, you and Sephiroth" Lazard corrected with an apologetic shrug. Meia nodded and looked at the file passed to her by the director.

"There is a disturbance bothering a small mining town on the western continent" Lazard began while Meia scanned the document in her hand, "People are going missing. Bodies are turning up, mutilated and unrecognizable. The people fear the Wutai are behind it"

Meia nodded and rifled through a few photos. They were gruesome; mutilated didn't quite describe it properly. Bodies missing limbs, a few even missing their heads. All looking as though they were torn up by a wild animal. Or something worse…

"Most of the villagers have fled, save the odd stubborn few. There is a contact in a nearby town that can tell you more but, well…his information had to be bought"

"I see Sir" Meia pulled out a map of the area. The town was nestled low at the base of a mountain range.

"Clydia…" She said out loud, reading the name of the town, "And the nearby town with the informant, Nibelheim?"

"Correct" Lazard stated, focusing on his screen. A cool breeze stirred around her bare arms as Sephiroth passed her, heading for the bookshelf in front of him. He smelt of sweet cinnamon and almond today, her lips curled up in a faint smile.

"It will take us a few days to get there, so once we have everything we need, we'll be leaving immediately" He informed her, pouring through an atlas he'd pulled down. Meia nodded,

"I understand Sir" Meia stated, and took up Sephiroth's previous position on the desk to continue going over the file. Nibelheim. Something irked her about the place. She'd never even been there, yet something pushed at the back of her mind. Things had been doing that a lot lately…Jenova, Nibelheim…it was maddening not knowing where the feelings of unease were coming from.

Sephiroth replaced the atlas and turned to leave,

"Come, Meia. Bring that with you" He instructed her, before heading off. She slid off the desk and followed close behind and they left the office. Lazard leant back in his chair. It was good Sephiroth was keeping things strictly professional between them in public. Although as her superior, it was relatively easy. He didn't know what kind of a relationship they shared, but as he filled out the email he'd received from the science department, he wrote 'professional only' and hit send. He laced his fingers together and sighed. He didn't know what the scientists were up too, but something wasn't quite right. And he wasn't about to sell out his best SOLDIER and friend to satisfy their twisted needs.

* * *

*Throws rotten tomatos at Hojo* I think Genesis should just give up and buy a Sephiroth wall scroll, hurrr hurrr *sniffs Sphiroth's hair*

Next chapter - Mentor and student set out for the next mission, but an unfortunate mis-understanding forces them to spend a night in Nibelheim...how will this effect Meia and Sephiroth? And what is going on in the quiet town of Clydia...

Please Review if you have a spare min or two, I'd really appreciate it :)


	24. Chapter 23 Whispers in the rain

Good evening my dears! Or morning or afternoon, depending on which part of the planet you reside on. The next chapter is done! And I had fun writing it, and the following one xD And the one after that. I'll stop teasing now lol.

Aside from my usual thanks to my regular readers and beloved reviewers *you know who you are :)* I'd like to say another thank you to Stoccarda for taking the time to read the whoooole thing from start to finish and leaving me a lovely review at the end ^^ And to answer your question (and anyone else who may be wondering)...all will become clear ;D

There is also a small interview with Meia up in my DA journal, as well as general fanart of the fic. The link is in my profile, BUT! I have discovered it won't work if you just click on it D:! So copy and paste into your address bar and it should all be good :)

**All original Final fantasy vii Content is property of Square Enix and this is a work of fandom, not for profit. All I own is Meia and the odd OC here and there.**

**Chapter 23**

Rain, heavy and unrelenting, hammered down on the roof of the military truck heading for the town of Nibelheim. It hadn't stopped since they left the desert area and thanks to the absence of a smoggy umbrella, as well as the climbing altitude, the temperature out on the western continent was now bone chillingly cold. Meia pulled the vast hood of her floor length jacket close about her throat and continued to study the personal pad she had nestled in her lap. Before they left, she had all the records she was allowed access too on Nibelheim downloaded onto it for reference. Try as she might, there was no getting rid of the feeling of unease eating away at her.

Sephiroth observed her from his seat opposite, his eyes twitching to look at the sudden sight of lightening outside. Meia had been reading that pad ever since they left Midgar two days ago; she hardly looked up from it. He crossed his legs and folded his hands in his lap,

"Something is bothering you, what is it?" He said finally. She didn't look up, whatever she was reading it had her undivided attention. Sighing, Sephiroth rose and shut the hatch behind the driver, cutting him off, before settling next to her carefully. She was looking at plans of the reactor in the town they were heading for. He found it strange that rather than researching their destination, she was instead obsessed with the small mountain town. He leant back against the wall of the truck and unzipped his jacket slightly. He was getting quite warm, despite the cold region they were traveling through,

"Did you want something, Sir?" Meia said quietly, still looking over blueprints and not bothering to look up.

"The hatch is closed, Meia, and the rain is loud. You can dispense with the formalities" Sephiroth sighed. Meia sat up and nodded, stretching her back which released in a series of satisfying crunches.

"I find it odd your researching Nibelheim, Meia, were only paying the town a visit" Sephiroth questioned her, his head tilted. She folded her dark hood down and observed him, a look of plain worry on her features,

"I'm sorry, it's just…" She paused, looking away, "There is something about the place. I have an uneasy feeling about it"

Sephiroth continued to observe her. Meia's feelings were usually cemented in fact. She had an uncanny ability to read a situation or a person. Like empathy, or an over honed sixth sense. If she was feeling uneasy, there was probably a good reason for it.

"What do the records say about the town?" He asked, sitting back again and crossing a leg over his knee. Meia explained that it was simply a small settlement with a reactor in the mountains. The only other remotely interesting thing about it was a large mansion that apparently had been a Shinra facility at some point. Other than that, everything was plain and normal. Sephiroth looked at the reactor blueprints Meia had on the screen currently and frowned. It looked like any other reactor core. A standard model usually found outside of Midgar.

"Something about the reactor bothering you?" He stated, noting her long sigh. She nodded,

"I don't know why but…something tells me these are wrong. The layout, the design, it doesn't make sense for a reactor built on a mountain. These aren't the right blueprints…" She muttered to herself. Sephiroth frowned,

"They were in the Nibelheim file, were they not? They have to be right"

Meia looked at him, "Do they? Just because someone or something says so doesn't make it true…" She challenged, noting the flicker of confusion pass over Sephiroth's face,

"You think they have been replaced with false records?" He said quietly, earning him a hesitant nod from Meia,

"But why would they?" He continued,

"Think about it. There is no denying that things with Shinra…aren't always what they seem. We know that for a fact"

"But the ramblings of rebels and official records are two different things; you of all people should know that, Meia" He said with a frown,

"Perhaps…but where am I getting these feelings from?"

Sephiroth shook his head and chose not to pursue the matter, watching the scenery pass by instead. Meia suspected Shinra of falsifying records? Most subordinates would be reported for such disloyalty to the company. Had it been anyone else he would have filed a report himself. _Had it been anyone else…_He exhaled through his nose gently.

"Are you that loyal to a company that uses you, Sephiroth?" Meia said suddenly. His eyes narrowed and turned to face her. She looked at him with genuine concern in her eyes which dispelled any anger he may have felt for a moment,

"What do you mean…" He asked her slowly. Meia blinked and shook her head,

"Sorry, that was out of line. it was something Genesis said to me that's all"

Sephiroth snorted, "Genesis…put that thing away Meia. You'll give yourself a headache" He scolded her gently. He would not have her worry over something Genesis said to her. He narrowed his eyes once again. Meia was his to protect, his to care for and he simply would not allow other people to get at her. Even if it was his own friend,

"I've told you not to worry about him, Meia" He added, in a softer tone this time.

"Oh I'm not worried about Genesis. Just…curious. I want to know what's going on, I want to know what's fuelling my bizarre instincts" She said, rubbing her cold cheeks with a gloved hand. Sephiroth looked down his nose at her, before responding to a gentle rapping coming from the driver. Apparently, they were almost at Nibelheim.

* * *

Grey. That was the only word Sephiroth could think of to describe the scenery that lay before him. Had the weather not been so dire, the place probably had a beautiful charm to it. All he could think of at the moment, however, was that he hoped his boots were still waterproof. The downpour was almost savage, the ground beneath his feet was flooded and verging on boggy. A vapour clouded sigh escaped his lips and he looked behind him for Meia, who was currently absorbed in her own disgust at the conditions. Eventually she sloshed to his side, the ground making ominous sucking noises as she did,

"This wasn't in the brochure…" She quipped under her breath. Sephiroth gave a small grunt of a laugh and forged ahead through the curtain of rain, heading for the village gate. Meia was aware of her coat dragging on the floor slightly, soggy hems all round then. All of the coats were too long for her and only mediums were left, meaning things were too wide and far too long. But in this weather, everything would be soggy eventually…

Sephiroth slowed as he approached Nibelheims gates, his gaze following the flow of the town and the mountains beyond. Now he too was having feelings of familiarity. The landscape, the smell, the atmosphere, all were triggering feelings and memories inside him. Infuriating, scattered and fragmented memories that as usual, he couldn't place or make sense of. They carried on into the main town square and headed for the Inn, where their informant was apparently staying. Meia felt a surge of guilt as the stepped inside, the rain water running off their coats and forming puddles where they stood in the doorway. Sephiroth flipped his hood down and looked around. An elderly man looked up from his paper, a look of recognition forming on his features,

"Ah, from Shinra I presume?" He enquired and looked at a sheet of paper in front of him, "Mr Sephiroth and Miss..." He paused, his mouth twisting into a look of concerntration, "My-ah?"

Meia's mouth twitched into a smile, "May-Ah, Sir" She corrected, accompanied with a kind look, "And yes, that's us"

"Ah! Of course. Please come in, take those soaked coats off and sit by the fire" He said warmly.

"Thank you, but we are only staying for a short time. We're looking for a man who recently took refuge here from Clydia" Sephiroth stated simply. The elderly Inn owner removed his glasses and rubbed the red marks on the bridge of his nose,

"Ah yes. Bill. He said something about taking a walk this morning, the children say he headed off for the mountain. Hasn't come back yet"

The muscle in Sephiroth's jaw twitched. They were on time but this Bill character was taking liberties. Meia frowned,

"Does he usually do this?" She asked the man, removing her hood also. The inn keeper shook his head and replaced his glasses, "I'm afraid not. There's no telling how long he's going to be" He finished apologetically. Sephiroth turned to Meia and asked her to inform their driver. Nodding, she did as she was told and replaced her hood, before stepping out into the downpour once more.

Once the driver was told of the situation, she wandered back to the town centre. Her eyes were drawn upwards to the mountains for some reason. The rain splashed on her cold lips as she observed the gloomy jagged outline. The reactor was up there, along with whatever was causing her feelings of unease. Then her eyes lowered and fixed on the roof of a large building she could just make out beyond the main settlement of the town. The mansion. Again, a strange feeling swam in her stomach. She didn't like this place…She hoped this Bill person would come back soon. Meia had no desire to spend the night here…

Back at the Inn, Sephiroth sipped his piping hot green tea while poring over the mission report on his own personal pad. He had reluctantly accepted the inn keeper's invitation to stay and wait for the informant. He had to accept the fact they might also be forced to stay the night, which would set the mission back and unsettle Meia. He looked up as she entered the Inn once again, freshly drenched, where she was attended too by the elderly man. He watched her smile and interact with him, a slight smile twisting his lips also. She made her way to him and assumed a seat at the table, removing her soaked gloves and turning to the fire behind them to dry her hands.

"Depending on when this man shows up, we may have to spend the night here, Meia" He spoke to her quietly. There were only a few more people in the Inn with them and the conversation wasn't loud enough to provide enough of a cover. Meia sighed,

"I was afraid of that" She muttered.

"Still feel uneasy?"

She nodded, "Yes. This town" She hesitated and dropped her voice further, "…it gives me the creeps"

Sephiroth acknowledged her before offering his tea, which she accepted and poured her own cup full. A full hour passed and still there was no sign of the man. Meia was reading a book on local information and Sephiroth was sat back in his chair, arms folded over his chest and his eyes closed. It was early evening now, the rain was still unrelenting and steadily the light outside was fading. Meia's eyes watched the rise and fall of Sephiroth's chest, crossed with the usual leather straps but covered up this mission with a black cotton roll neck to ward off the rain and chills. She wondered if their informant was going to be alright and whether he'd make it off the mountain by nightfall. Would they have to go looking for him? She sincerely hoped not. Going up those mountains at night in this weather was something straight out of a horror movie to her. Especially considering the way she felt about the place.

But shortly after the first lights came on in the town square, their informant arrived, soaked through and looking like he'd seen better days,

"Bill! Where have you been? I was beginning to worry…" The elderly Innkeeper stated with relief. The gruff looking, wet, bearded man known as Bill grunted and removed his coat, declining the Inn keepers insistence to stay and warm himself by the fire,

"Can't, need to rest up for Shinra. Coming tomorrow, aye?" He slurred. Meia arched an eyebrow; he displayed all the signs of lunacy or intoxication. Or maybe both…

"Bill, Shinra are already here. You were meant to meet them today…" The Inn keeper shook his head. Bill lurched forwards a few steps and ogled the man with confusion shot eyes, partly concealed beneath wild knotted eyebrows,

"You 'avin me on eh? It's Tuesday today innit?"

Sephiroth stood up and looked at the man with all the patience he could summon, "No Sir, today is Wednesday. We had an agreement to meet at three in the afternoon" He stated, suppressing the irritation he felt.

Bill scratched his head and grumbled to himself, "Sorry 'bout that, young'un. Give me a few to smarten up, eh?" And with that, he lumbered off up the stairs. Sephiroth sat down again with a heavy sigh. After a moment's pause, Meia rose,

"Shall I make arrangements to stay, Sir?" She asked her superior. Sephiroth nodded, noting as predicted she was visibly uncomfortable. But he had a feeling this would take longer than he'd hoped and they couldn't travel through the night in the weather. He rubbed his eyebrows and sat up upon hearing the stairs creak once more.

* * *

Meia lie awake, listening to the sound of the rain outside. She couldn't sleep, not in this place. For once she couldn't blame the coffee; Sephiroth hadn't allowed her to consume any. Not that it made any difference. Restless, she slid out of her bed and into a robe provided by the Inn keeper. It was just her and Sephiroth in the room, their driver had opted to stay with the truck for security reasons. Or maybe the town creeped him out as well. She turned a desk lamp on and pulled a book from one of the shelves at her bedside. Sephiroth was sound asleep across the room, as usual. He once said to her that he never slept properly and that he always slept light. But whenever she'd seen him, he was always sleeping a deep, restful sleep. She looked over at his unconscious form, bundled under sheets, quilts and blankets, utterly at peace.

She smiled, for he was completely different when he slept. Although his eyebrows grew on a natural slant which gave him a perpetual seriousness, relaxed as his face was now there was no hint of it. His lips were parted slightly and he made utterly no sound, save the occasional gentle sigh when he shifted his position unconsciously. It was almost hard to believe Sephiroth was Shinra's most powerful SOLDIER when he appeared almost delicate at rest…She shook her head and began to read.

_Sephiroth…_

Meia's blood ran cold and she froze. The voice, that abhorrent voice which chilled her to the core. But it was so loud this time, almost as if it were in the room with her…

_Sephiroth…come to me…_

She stood up slowly and looked around. Usually, she wasn't spooked easily. Usually her rational and logical brain came to a conclusion before doubt and worry could work its way into her system. But this was different. This was what she was afraid off. This town, something was defiantly wrong. Everything said by her tormenter was crystal clear…

…_ake. Leave her, leave them, and come to me…I will make you so powerful… people everywhere would fear us…worship us…_

Meia simply stood in the lamplight and listened. She couldn't block it out, this time it was clear and she heard every word. The voice was cold and raspy but at the same time seductive, mysterious…Meia glanced at Sephiroth but he was still fast asleep, he hadn't even moved…

_You….YOU…I see you now, woman…yeeesss…I see you…_

Meia said nothing, but she knew it was talking to her…

_Leave him. Leave…my child, come to me…come to me Meia and I can make you strong. I can make him love you, Just come to me…_

Meia closed her eyes and took a deep breath,_**what are you…**_

_You know what I am. I'm a part of you, a part of him…you know…_

_**You are mistaken**_

_Don't you yearn for his love? Yearn to hear his heart sing only for you? Come to me and I can make it possible…_

Meia's heart quickened as she felt seduced by those words, tempted by their promise. She did yearn…she did…But she quickly recomposed; _**I will not**_

_You will…one day, you will…all returns to me; all becomes one again…one day…_

Meia shut her eyes and steadied herself. She could feel a part of her wanting to obey. Needing, lusting to succumb to the creatures sweet promises. Part of her was pulled and she didn't like it. The urge to scale the mountain was festering in the back of her mind no matter how hard she tried to push it away…

"Meia…" Sephiroth's soft utterance made her almost jump out of her skin, but when her heart settled back in her chest she found she could no longer hear the voice…

"Meia…why are you lurking about in the shadows?" He asked her through a yawn, propping himself up on an elbow and wiped the sleep from his eyes. Meia was startled, and slightly panicked, to discover she had taken several steps towards the door of their room without even knowing it,

"I couldn't sleep. Sorry If I woke you" She stammered, backing up again. Finally, she smiled faintly at him, though her blood was running cold. What had just happened? Sephiroth observed her through half closed eyes, his pupils were fully dilated in the dim light yet the thin rings of his iris still glowed bright in the gloom. He sighed and patted the bed by his knees, inviting her to sit with him. She hesitated before accepting, being careful not to sit on any part of his body,

"Why? What's wrong this time?" He asked her, noting how tired she looked, the glow from the lamp etching deep shadows under her eyes. Meia watched the water running down the window panes,

"The voice. It's back…and it's clearer than it's ever been…" She answered quietly. Sephiroth sat up; ensuring the sheets still preserved his modesty, before pursing his lips,

"It's strange you say that. I haven't heard it at all in the past few days. And the last three nights I've slept soundly, uninterrupted" He trailed off, listening to the steady drum of water. It was too much of a coincidence. The last three nights they had been on the road, staying in Inn's and always together in the same room. Always when Meia was around could he sleep like a baby, like he used to sleep before he was enrolled as a SOLDIER.

"It's asking for you again…" Meia started quietly, "It's after you, and when it can't reach you…It comes for me" She looked at him with her pale eyes, "I'll be glad to leave this place in the morning" She muttered, rubbing her forehead.

* * *

Mercifully the rain stopped shortly after daybreak and they were on the road once more, heading west to Clydia. The ground was still utterly sodden, however, and the going was slow. Meia was woken yet again by another uncomfortable jerk to her head, the back of it colliding painfully with the side of the truck. She groaned and leant forwards, cradling her sore head in her hands. She was unsuccessful in her bid to sleep after her 'voice' episode last night but was easily dropping off in the truck. Until she was woken by her skull being rammed into metal, which happened more often than not…

"Meia, take some please, I need you alert for this mission, not passing out on my shoulder whenever you have the chance…" Sephiroth tried for the fourth time already that morning to convince her to take a few energy tablets. She sat up again and drew in a deep breath,

"Alright then. You have a point, as always" She sighed, accepting the tube from him. She popped a few in the half full bottle of water she had and watched them fizz away before sinking the concoction down. Sephiroth closed his eyes and sighed. He'd fallen asleep again without any problem, despite being worried about Meia. She was already dressed in her uniform and ready to leave when he got up in the morning. He couldn't help but feel a little guilty…

They arrived at Clydia a short while after noon. The two SOLDIER's stepped out of the truck and observed the landscape. It wasn't much different from Nibelheim but here, Meia didn't feel an awful sense of foreboding. Ironic, considering the photo's she'd seen with her brief. The town was bigger than Nibelheim, the mine attracting a fair amount of employment opportunities for people skilled in the trade. They approached on foot, noting that the town was indeed a ghost town. Tools and vehicles had been abandoned where they were last used and an eerie silence met their ears,

"From one creepy place to the next…" Meia uttered under her breath. Sephiroth ignored her and marched onwards, keen to get the mission over with. According to their informant, one by one the miners would disappear. At first people assumed they had simply got lost, search parties were even sent out to look for them but when the groups didn't come back, people began to get scared. Then one by one, bodies would turn up. Mutilated, torn, disfigured beyond any recognition. Fearing for their lives, most of the people had run save a few. That much they already knew from the reports.

What Bill had so kindly divulged was plans he'd managed to find left in the mine one day. Only they weren't left by the miners, they were Wutain plans. Bill didn't have a clue what they said, but he'd snagged them anyway. That's what Shinra had to pay him for. Once they were out of his hands, Sephiroth had ascertained they detailed a base in the mine, being able to read, write and speak Wutain. But why were villagers going missing and turning up as mutilated corpses? The plans didn't explain that. The most expensive piece of paper Sephiroth had ever carried was currently folded in a breast pocket of his long coat.

As they walked up to the main gate of the village, a stray dog observed them warily before darting off. That was the first sign of life they had seen since arriving. Meia noted the shovels and various other farming tools lying on the floor. Some of the houses doors were ajar and she checked one out but found it utterly deserted. Left as if in a heartbeat. Most of the houses they searched were the same and only a few were left to explore.

They could hear noises coming from inside a two story affair, a conversation of some kind. Sephiroth knocked on the door but there was no answer, only the sound of voices. Meia noticed one of the windows was smashed, the thin net curtain being blown outside by a breeze. Sephiroth tested the door only to find it locked, so he drew his leg up and with a swift firm kick, forced it open. The smell of putrefaction met their noses immediately; Meia recoiled and swallowed, taking a moment to adjust to the smell. The house was like the rest, empty, silent, save the continuous voices coming from a room further up the hallway.

Sephiroth stood in the doorway, reaching the room first and Meia could see from his profile that he'd found the source of both the smell and the noise,

"Killed in their own home" He mused quietly, "What's happening here…" She could almost see his mind working. He turned again and began searching the rest of the house. Meia looked into the room he'd just left. The television was on, explaining the conversation they could hear. It was streaming some soap opera to its deceased audience. A couple, buy the looks of things, what she presumed was the male once held a shotgun in his hand, its form now discarded on the floor beside him. They had been dead for a while now, signs of decay were apparent. She moved closer, steeling her senses against the offensive onslaught before her. Their throats were slashed so deeply it was near decapitation but she was curious to know why the sofa they sat on wasn't soaked red by their blood. Her eyebrows furrowed in thought. Had it been drained? Or something more sinister…

"Meia, come here" Sephiroth called her from upstairs. She obeyed with a last glance at the victims before her, and hurried to her commander. She found him in a room, staring out at the village below. The road to the mine in the base of the mountain was clearly visible, along with something else,

"A trail of blood…" She thought out loud. They could see from their vantage point that it was made up of many trails, all originating from houses and points in the village…

"Killed and then dragged, still bleeding…some perhaps still alive, into the mine…" Sephiroth stated, he too thinking out loud, "Except the bodies downstairs…why?"

Meia swallowed, she found it odd also. She explained the likely cause of death, along with the absence of most of their blood. Sephiroth said nothing. He was deep in thought. Finally he suggested checking the remaining houses, of which one more contained a murdered family that hadn't been taken into the mine.

Meia now stood outside, arms crossed and observing the entrance in the mountain side. It was inevitable; they would have to check it out. Sephiroth joined her shortly after and they stood, the wind stirring their long coats and hair. Sounds could be heard coming from deep within the mountain. Machinery, so even the mine was left as was, working in full motion. A feral howl, almost a moan, was carried to their ears by a strong gust of wind, and Meia looked at Sephiroth,

"What do you think?" She asked quietly,

He looked down at her, his expression grim, "I think you may be right about Shinra, Meia"

She was taken aback, "What do you mean?"

He looked away again, at the last house he'd checked, "Did you know there is a reactor in that mountain as well?"

"No…it's…"

"…not in any records" He finished solemnly. "A team of engineers lived in the last house, Meia, posing as a family unit. I found documents outlining reactor diagnostic reports"

She looked back at the house in question, "I assume the reactor wasn't just sucking the lifestream out of the planet either" She stated quietly. Sephiroth shook his head,

"Let's go, Meia. Stay alert…who know what we'll find down there…" He said grimly and together, they marched off towards the mine.

* * *

Uwaaaa! D: Creepy creepies all round! Hopefully The pronounciation of Meia's name is no longer a mystery :)

Next chapter - Sephiroth and Meia journey deeper into the mine, into perpetual gloom and rank decay. What will be waiting for them? And what will happen when a chain of events is set off which promise to have dire consiquences for both SOLDIER's...

As uuusual, I would love you to leave a reveiw if you have the time :) They mean alot to me x


	25. Chapter 24 The gloom of eternity

Hello everyone! I'm uploading early again because I'm so nice :) And so I can work on the following chapters more - I want to make sure they are properly fine tuned...

My usual thanks to my regular readers and to new readers who have made it this far =D And to my reviewers, the usual massive thank you for letting me know you're reading and enjoying it and for keeping me going.

I listened to creepy music from You tube while writing this, you should look some up for reading ^,^ and read in a dark room. I do enjoy being freaked out, does that made me sadistic? o,O;;;

**I do not own Sephiroth or any original places, characters or plot details. They are copyright of Square Enix and this is a work of fandom, not for profit. All i own is Meia, the odd OC and my original place names.**

**Chapter 24**

They had been walking now for an hour or so, steadily following the maze of tunnels and passage ways as they led the two SOLDIER's deep into the planet. Meia had plucked a battery powered lamp from a supply silo when they entered. Its yellow tones illuminated and accented the craggy walls of the mine shafts, forming shapes that were all together sinister when viewed from the corner of one's eye. Sephiroth was leading, following the sound of machinery, as well as power cables and water pipes, in hopes that it would lead them to their destination, which logically they would.

As they walked, they passed more and more abandoned machinery. Tools lay scattered as with the town and the blood trail would vanish, only to re-appear again further in. Not a single body was found, the closest they came to finding any trace of the minors was helmets and the odd shoe, trapped in rails along the floor, seemingly lost when their owners tried desperately to flee whatever was causing this.

Slowly, the humming of machinery became louder. Meia noticed the smaller inhabitants of the mine, the rats, were running in the opposite direction they were heading in. She couldn't help but worry what was causing them to flee. Eventually, the duo emerged into a wide, deep shaft, easily big enough for several of Midgar's locomotives to run side by side. Its function was to carry mined ores and rock out of the mine using a large conveyer belt that ran up its middle. Several smaller shafts all joined this one but the story here was the same. Abandoned without a second thought. Another howling moan met their ears, but it was chillingly close this time. Meia swallowed and panned around slowly with her torch, Sephiroth listening with his head bowed,

"Where is that coming from…?" Meia breathed quietly. Her heart was pounding. The mine was frightening. Sephiroth didn't appear at all bothered, but he had been a SOLDIER far longer than she. He was probably confident that whatever happened, he could protect both of them. Meia tried to take strength from him, but it was impossible to shake off her fear entirely. Then a smell wafted into her nostrils, it was a different scent than what they had encountered so far. The musty, damp smell was tinged with rotting flesh. The hairs on Meia's neck prickled, warning her something was wrong. Subconsciously her hand drifted to the tanto strapped about her thigh, and a yellow glint told her Sephiroth had summoned Masamune. They stood back to back, listening, waiting, and barely breathing. The smell got stronger, gradually, until the rotting stench of putridity was all they could sense. Meia turned the lamp off quickly and they stood in total darkness, save a flickering glow cast from a mine shaft opposite them someway down from where they stood.

Then she saw it. A wisp of black smoke to the untrained eye, but it had form. It behaved like a creature, tumbling out of the lit mine shaft. Inching forward it tested its surroundings every now and then. It could be heard, sniffing, wailing…sobbing like a broken child. Sephiroth turned to face it silently and Meia watched, her heart hammering in her chest. She was terrified. This thing was paranormal; it wasn't a beast of flesh and bone. It was something else, something unknown. Sephiroth bent until his lips were brushing her ear,

"Back off Meia, slowly…as quiet as you can" He breathed into her ear. Nodding she obeyed, inching back until she was safely behind him. The Smokey thing suddenly appeared to stop and listen, the raspy breathing vanishing. To Meia's horror, two wispy red eyes formed and stared right at her and Sephiroth's position and she froze, not daring to move. Not even daring to breath. It lingered a moment, watching…searching, looking for what it had heard. Finally, the creature resumed its patrol, the red eyeballs looking up and down the shaft before crossing the conveyer belt and vanishing into a lit shaft opposite the one it emerged from. After a moment, Meia leant on the wall of the mine and breathed again, holding a hand to her hammering chest. Sephiroth dismissed Masamune and stepped back to join her, bowing his head to listen once more.

They stayed glued to the same spot for at least ten minutes before Sephiroth moved. Meia noticed the smell was gone, replaced with earthy damp again. Carefully they inched their way to the shaft the creature had vanished into, but there was no sign of it so Sephiroth led them into the opposite passage. A loose florescent lamp dangled and flickered overhead, Meia noticed a trail of them as they walked but they looked like they were put up in a hurry. After a while the shaft widened, meeting two other shafts as tracks on the floor converged to form three routs mining carts could take. All were now heading into the darkness in front of them, the strings of lamps having veered off down another shaft behind them. They pushed on. Meia had by now lost track of time, not having the faintest idea how long they had been down in the rank depths.

At last, the tell-tale pulsing hum of a mako reactor met their ears. More and more mine shafts were converging until they walked down one that was six tracks wide. They were defiantly close and mercifully, they hadn't encountered any more of the smoke creature from earlier. The tunnel ahead of them gradually became bathed in a green glow, they had found the reactor. It was occupying a massive vertical shaft that extended above and below them, the reactor itself jammed right down the middle like a sinister drill. Below them and over several levels, more conveyers could be seen spitting out ore and rock, only because there was no one to work the machinery anymore, it was simply amassing into large piles that were steadily cascading into the mako pool some fifty meters below them.

Sephiroth stepped away from the railing and looked up at the reactor, its metal façade illuminated by various lights of differing hues. His eyebrows were drawn in concern and confusion. A mine was a perfect cover for a reactor. Its presence could be completely innocent, simply serving as a power source for the large mine and the town beyond. But why was it not mentioned in any files? Any records? He found it hard to believe someone had forgotten to include it. Something this big couldn't simply be ignored. He noticed Meia was watching him, her usually placid featured marred by a worried frown,

"Why is this here…" He spoke quietly, looking once more at the reactors exterior. Meia shook her head,

"Officially to power the mine. I'm willing to bet there is an unofficial reason as well…" She murmured. Sephiroth nodded in silent agreement and together, they crossed the suspended walkway to the reactors entrance.

Once inside, the main door was jammed and slightly open, the control panel fried. Sephiroth had no problem forcing it back into the bulkhead to allow them access. An auxiliary control room was beyond the damaged portal, its lights humming and flickering every now and then. The door that led inside the reactor was sealed shut and provided no leverage this time to allow a forced entry. Sephiroth summoned his sword but Meia stopped him,

"This door may be sealed for a reason…we should find a way of opening it that won't damage it, in case we need to close the thing again" She whispered, her hand resting on his left forearm. He nodded to her. He had thought about that, but at this point he was ready to wrap the mission up and get back home. He was perfectly content with cutting the door open, along with anything they found inside. He stood back and watched as Meia examined the door's control panel, before searching the room for a small pad that interfaced with the hardware contained within the bulkhead. She plugged it in and began tapping away at the flat panel nestled in the crook of her arm. Sephiroth cocked his head, observing her as she worked.

He found himself thinking about the startling progress she had been making recently. If she carried on the way she was, she'd make First in no time. But this worried him. Why was she so good? Why did she have a remarkable capacity to learn and grow, almost on par with him? Was it linked to her injections? Was it all linked…She was fit and intelligent before Hojo got his filthy hands on her, was it simply due to this that was the reason for Meia's remarkable growth? Or was it more sinister. Like this reactor.

He smiled faintly. Despite the worry, the surge of feelings and emotions that she caused within him, He never once regretting meeting her. His only regret was that he failed to protect her that day at Howl's summit, and now thanks to that…she was forced into her worst nightmare. He found himself vowing, there and then, to never fail to protect her. Because Sephiroth knew that he, the most powerful human being alive, needed her to keep him sane…in this world that was slowly revealing itself to be one full of lies.

"And…were in" She quipped to herself, the door hissing open in response.

"That was fast…" Sephiroth commented quietly. Meia smirked,

"Would have been faster but some of the circuits were fried, had to find a way to bypass them" She replied, flashing him a slight grin. He gave her a small smile and a chuckle in response, before forging ahead once more into the reactors core.

Once inside, they began searching the semi-circular control rooms overlooking the main core, which was blacked out. The first room had nothing of interest in it, as was the same with the next few. The lower they descended, the more security was in place to lock the doors, each requiring slightly more of Meia's time to decipher. Beyond the fifth door, clues were emerging and starting to form a picture of what was going on. Shinra files lay scattered everywhere, but they were not on reactor function. Indeed, they showed nothing that mako reactors were usually associated with. Sephiroth scanned one such file, his eyebrows becoming tighter after each line of text he read. Meia had also found an interesting report,

"This reactor…was being used by the science department?" She said quietly, her glowing blue eyes flicking back and forth over the file in her hand. Sephiroth nodded and grunted softly in response. He was currently pacing slowly, reading with a hand to his chin and deep in thought. Meia placed her file to one side and approached the large glass window that separated them from the reactors inner core. It was pitch black; absolutely nothing could be made out beyond the glass. What she should be seeing is the reactors hollow inner core, with its central control system running down the hollow shaft like a brain stem. But a horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach warned her that something else was there, just beyond her field of vision.

"Come Meia, we should keep descending" Sephiroth caused her to jump slightly, but she nodded and followed him. The next door was the toughest to open so far. Meia's mouth twisted in concentration until she finally managed to get the door to open for her. Inside, the control room had been gutted and replaced with equipment that wasn't of Shinra design…

"Wutain…" Sephiroth mumbled, gesturing to several symbols scrawled on the wall. Meia nodded her agreement before venturing in. But in here she was useless. All the files and paperwork were written in the language of the enemy. All she could make out from a report pinned to the wall were a few faded words,

_I…erial….sw…rds_

_A.V.A.L…N.C…. _

"The Imperial swords…." Meia deciphered and repeated darkly. Sephiroth looked up at her from a tattered piece of paper he was reading from,

"Stay focused Meia, don't let it get to you" He coached quietly, before resuming his reading. She sighed and nodded turning and inspecting the hardware behind her. A little while later, Sephiroth joined her at the glass window she was still trying to peer out of,

"We may want to see about restoring the lighting in there. Most of the important reports have been taken, but a few suggest the core is being used for something…" He stated quietly. Meia nodded, but she couldn't do it from in here,

"I can't read Wutain, I can't operate these systems" She replied, frustration creeping into her voice.

"I can help you, just let me know what you need to find" He offered. Meia thought a moment before nodding. With Sephiroth's help, Meia quickly located the system that was tied into the reactor's core. Working with them, however, was a different matter. Sephiroth had to translate all the controls in front of her first and every system they accessed had vast lists of subsystems. Meia began muttering to herself how crude and pointless the design was. But eventually, they found the controls for the lighting and illuminated the core once more.

What they found beyond the glass was atrocious...and terrifying.

_Shinra building, 49__th__ floor_

Zack Fair crossed his arms in a huff, almost visibly pouting. He had just been promoted to Third class rank 4, but for the fourth day running he couldn't find Meia. He tried her cell again but where ever she was, she was out of range. He jammed it back into his pocket and wondered how he could get hold of her.

Lately, Zack had been a little too obsessed with finding and telling Meia about everything. How his day had been, what he'd learnt. It was exciting for him to have a friend who was now a Second class SOLDIER.

He decided to wander around in the vain hope that he might find her, hidden in a trash can or something. He entered the briefing room and saw through the glass that Angeal and his First class companion were sitting in there. Genesis, if he recalled correctly. Shrugging, Zack entered, immediately forming a salute when Angeal looked up at him,

"Zack, Zack Fair…isn't it?" He asked with a smile. Zack nodded enthusiastically, "What brings you here?"

"Sir, I was wondering if you knew the whereabouts of Meia LeSait, Sir!" He said clearly. Genesis failed to contain a chuckle behind his copy of Loveless. Angeal leant back in his chair and crossed his ankles,

"She's away on a mission at the moment. Hopefully they'll return in a day or two"

"They, Sir?"

"Mmm, Sephiroth is leading the mission"

Zack scratched his head, a sound of dawning escaping his lips.

"Zack…" Angeal spoke again, "What do you know of the relationship those two share?" He continued carefully. Zack blinked and thought to himself. Sephiroth mentored Meia, that much he knew. Which he found hard to believe because according to records and personal accounts, Sephiroth never mentored anyone. But this just made Meia an even more exciting friend…

"Mentor and student, isn't it?" But Zack couldn't ignore the fact they were seen together more often than not. Angeal thought a moment, before uncrossing his legs and leaning forward on the table,

"That it is…" He addressed Zack, "If the science department should ask you the same question, 'professional only' is the best answer…" Angeal stared at him intently, "understand?"

Zack nodded slowly and dismissed himself. That was odd, why would the science department care about the relationship between two colleagues? Ahhh, of course, Zack thought to himself, inter-SOLDIER relationships were probably frowned on. Angeal just wants to make sure his friends aren't accused of having the wrong kind of relationship. Pleased with himself, Zack bounded off in the direction of the canteen.

* * *

Meia's lip quivered in barely contained disgust. Maybe she should be vomiting. Maybe she should at least be looking away. But she couldn't. Sephiroth folded his arms beside her and beheld the scene in stoic silence.

Once the cold blue lights were switched on, illuminating the reactor's core, they revealed a disturbing secret. A secret that at least solved their immediate mystery, but unlocked a great deal more…

"What is this…?" Meia breathed, stepping closer to the glass. On each level of the reactors core a new addition had been built, resembling a twisted industrial lab. Suspended from hooks on the levels above were specimen pods. Clear tubes, filled with mako. And inside, they both suspected, were the missing town's people. Sephiroth had located a dark doorway that wasn't visible until the lights were turned on, the blue glow above it indicating a way to access the core and the pods. He stepped through, followed closely by Meia. Some of the pods contents weren't even human anymore. Some contained remnants that once could have been human, torsos, legs from the hips down. The further in they went, the more disturbing it all became. Some of the pods were empty with no signs of damage. Maybe they once contained something…

"Estimating from the amount of pods, only half of the town's inhabitants are in here…" Sephiroth spoke out loud, craning his neck and looking up through the forest like gathering of glass and liquid above him. Meia swallowed as she beheld the remains of a child, mutilated and disfigured,

"So what happened to the other half…" She replied, stepping away and back towards Sephiroth. He fixed her with a confused, slightly sad stare,

"My guess is sustenance…" He peered at the closest specimen, "For whatever these things are" He concluded. It made sense, trails of blood all leading into the mine. But the brutal, animalistic way in which the people were killed suggested this experiment had got out of hand and was abandoned in a hurry.

"What do you think?" She asked him, "Is this something the Wutai were doing without the town knowing…or something Shinra was doing, with the Wutai's help…obviously whatever it was got out of hand"

Sephiroth exhaled through his nose, betraying an automatic annoyance at what she'd just said. But he couldn't ignore what she was getting at. There was every possibility that both scenarios could be true. And more. Was his loyalty so inbred to him? It made perfect sense in his logical mind. His highly intelligent brain was currently running through every conceivable possibility, at least half of them led to foul play on the company's behalf. So why was he still feeling a sense of duty and loyalty? He was sure that if any other member of the company had said what Meia just did, he would have disciplined them on the spot and reported them as soon as he arrived back in Midgar. Was he so blinded?

He looked at her, illuminated by the eerie green glow and cold blue lamps lighting the facility. She was as logical as he was; her advantage was her willingness to see the truth from all angles. Not just the ones that made the company look good…

"We can draw our own conclusions Meia, but ultimately our job is to report what we have found…and let the company decide what to do" He spoke to her softly. Meia gave him a look that was plain; that's not good enough. He pursed his lips and tilted his head, "It's frustrating, I know. But it's not our job to find out what was going on, only to report our findings…"

"Even if what's going on is potentially dangerous and wrong? These people once led lives, Sephiroth…and now all they are is festering, rotting corpses suspended in mako. What if, somehow…Shinra DID have a hand in this?"

"Then there was nothing we could do about it. These people are gone, Meia. Nothing can be done for them now"

"But what about the next town, and the next after that…"

"I think you're getting too involved, SOLDIER"

Meia stared at him, unblinking "Am I crossing a line, Sir?" She replied, a tone of defiance in her voice. Sephiroth tilted his head up and looked down his nose at her,

"Yes. As it's you though, I'll ignore it" He noticed her bristle at this remark and he sighed, stepping close to her and placing his hand on her shoulder, "I just don't want to see you worry yourself sick, Meia. I understand what you mean, but for now we do our job, alright?" He gave her a small smile and reluctantly, she nodded in submission.

The duo then headed back out the way they came, eager to escape the mine back into daylight, regardless of the weather. The smell of chemical filth was firmly wedged in Meia's nostrils and she rubbed them in a vain attempt to get rid of the smell. Sephiroth was, as usual, seemingly unaffected. Striding ahead confidently he led them back into the auxiliary control rooms but a sound caught their attention, both freezing to listen. At first, Meia's blood ran cold and she expected the smoke creature to appear. But the rank smell that preceded it was absent, only mako and electronics were detectable. Then they heard it again, a soft scraping of clothes against a dirty floor. Sephiroth tilted his head to the left, before bending to look behind one of the control consoles. Straight away a small figure darted away from him, making a break for the door but Sephiroth had somehow got there ahead of it and it crashed into his legs in a jumbled heap,

"Ow, hey…let me go, I only wanted a look at the place, is all…I swear!" It was a boy, still young and utterly filthy. His face was streaked with dirt and his clothes were so brown he would have been perfectly camouflaged out in the mine. He was currently looking between Meia and Sephiroth, obviously trying to work out how, if it were even possible, to escape the two…

"What are you doing down here in the mine?" Meia asked him. She was at a loss to understand why a child would be present in such an environment, especially with the situation as it was. The boy huffed and got to his feet, his head barely level with Sephiroth's belt,

"Live down 'ere" Was his prickly reply. Sephiroth arched an eyebrow and looked at Meia. She folded her arms,

"You live in the mine? I find that hard to believe" She challenged him, to which he stomped up to her and placed his fists on his hips,

"Well you better believe it, Lady! It's the safest place, what with the stupid grownups running the town"

"'Stupid grownups', eh?" She replied. Maybe the boy knew something…

"Uhuh. All the people in town are dead now 'cause they're so stupid. But not us, we're smart"

"I see. Why don't you show us where you live?"

The boy eyed her suspiciously, "Why should I…"

"Because. We're big and mean. And stronger than you" Meia replied with a smirk. For a moment the boy simply stared, before folding his arms and arching an eyebrow,

"I kinda like you, Lady; you're not stuck up like all the other grownups. Come on, we should move anyway 'for the Nero wisps come get us" And the boy marched back to Sephiroth and despite his tiny size compared to the latter, squared up to him,

"You look familiar," He began slowly, "Get out my way if you know what's good for yeh!"

Meia snorted softly, managing to pass it off as a sneeze. Sephiroth simply stared the child down, caught somewhere between annoyed irritation and bewildered amusement. But finally he stepped aside, allowing the boisterous child out. Meia moved beside him and watched the boy move carefully out of the reactor,

"Maybe he can tell us what's been going on here" She whispered to Sephiroth. He grunted,

"If I don't kill the brat first…" He growled softly. Meia smiled and patted him on the back, before heading out after the boy.

He led the two SOLDIER's back out across the suspended bridge and off to the right, where he disappeared into a dark tunnel. Meia retrieved her torch and clicked it on, but the boy was in front of her straight away, seizing it and turning it off,

"Are you mad? Light attracts the Nero! Do you wanna die?" He hissed, passing the now dim lamp back to her, "Hold on to this rope along the wall to find your way" He ordered, moving forward once again. Despite being uneasy they were now travelling in the dark, some part of Meia was humiliated by her earlier fear. If a child could run about in here she most certainly could…

"What are the Nero?" She asked after a few moments. The boy scoffed in the dark ahead of her,

"Demons. Real evil, they'll kill you 'for you even know they are there. Suck all your blood out, they will…" He answered, a little of his bravado gone.

"What do they look like?" Meia pressed,

"Like smoke, black smoke. They only take on solid form when they are 'bout to kill you. Turning right now, heads up"

They followed the rope as it fell away on the right, taking them down a sloping tunnel. Meia noticed Sephiroth was lingering close behind her and this gave her comfort. After a while the boy stopped and fumbled about in the dark, cursing and muttering under his breath. Finally, with a small cry of triumph, he pulled a hidden lever and a wooden door swung open in front of them. Straight away the tunnel was bathed in warm light, causing the SOLDIER's eye's to adjust quickly and painfully. Meia winced as she and Sephiroth was ushered in and the door shut behind them.

"'Ere we go. Home sweet home" The boy proclaimed, lacing his hands behind his head and strutting off ahead. The SOLDIER's followed slowly. They were in a vast cave, formed over thousands of years by, astonishingly, the lifestream. A river of it flowed through the cave, vanishing into a smaller tunnel that extended beyond their field of vision. Everywhere they looked, mako deposits had formed natural materia, and Sephiroth was immediately fascinated by a rather impressive sample and was currently studying it. Meia noticed bunks and crude furniture made from all sorts of discarded materials, just like the people of the slums would do. Other children were currently eyeballing the pair from beds and chairs. Meia looked around; no child appeared to be above fifteen, by her rough guess. The boisterous one who led them there turned to her,

"Like our place then, Lady?" Meia nodded her approval and continued studying, "We 'ave to live down 'ere now. It ain't safe up top anymore. We're ok in here, at least for now…"

Sephiroth re-joined Meia and the boy scowled at him, "You didn't take any of the treasure did you?" He asked him. Sephiroth shook his head,

"I was merely studying it. It's rare to see materia in its natural state"

"Dunno bout no materia, but the jewels sure are pretty. We don't touch 'em, brings bad luck…"

Sephiroth sighed his frustration at the boy's childish analogy. Meia brought her hand to her face,

"So…what happened to the town? Do you know?" She asked him. The boy sighed and hopped up to sit on a pile of sacks behind him,

"Yea…we know. One day a group of us snuck into the mine after a load of miners. We followed 'em until they reached that big metal thing you found me at. Didn't' have a clue what it was but some of the miners went inside" He sniffed and stuck a finger in his ear, "One day, some blokes went in…but never came out again. This would start happening all the time. Five blokes in, three blokes out. Four blokes in, one bloke out…" He continued. Meia noticed a few children were edging closer, listening to the boys story as well. She frowned,

"So only a few would come out again?" She mused out loud. The boy nodded. But that would mean at least the Shinra engineer's knew about the disappearances. She glanced at Sephiroth who was watching her. He knew what she was thinking…

"Then one day, few of us heard terrible noises coming from the metal building. Men screaming. Was a horrible sound. An after that people stopped going in altogether. Soon after, some of the people ran away, saying demons were being bred in the mine" The boy looked at Sephiroth, who folded his arms, "The something real bad happened. A bunch of us were watching from a shaft when a whole gang of Nero escaped the metal building and began eating the workers in the mine. They went for anyone who had a light, thas' how we know they attracted to light, see?"

Meia nodded grimly. The boy continued,

"So what we did after all the miners were eaten was hang a track of lights through the tunnels so the Nero would keep going round in circles, away from this cave. We always travel in the dark, always avoid that track. We've noticed less and less of them lately though, maybe they're all dying?" The boy scratched his head and thought to himself. Sephiroth took Meia aside and spoke to her quietly,

"We need to keep these children a secret from Shinra" He whispered. Meia looked at him in shock,

"After what you just lectured me on?"

"I know. Listen, Meia. We know that Shinra knew about the disappearances now. They only sent us to investigate after the situation got out of control…and if that's the case, what would happen to these kids if Shinra knew they were alive and living in the mine? And had seen everything?"

Realisation dawned on Meia and she nodded, her blood running cold. She approached the boy who was now chatting to a small girl,

"How do you guys survive down here? Do you have enough food or a way of getting it?"

"The boy snorted haughtily, "Sure do. See the long tunnel the green river runs down? It leads out the mountain…we nicked a couple of abandoned cars and we use 'em to get to nearby towns. We uh, acquire food from them"

"You steal it, you mean…"

"Hey! I thought you weren't stuck up?"

Meia held her hands up in defence. But at least she knew now that for the time being, the children here were safe. They may be a bunch of filthy street urchins, but it looked like they could take care of themselves.

The calm in the cavern was shattered suddenly as a high pitched scream filtered down from the tunnel that carried the lifestream away. The children jumped up and rushed to look, the SOLDIER's following. From the faintly illuminated passage came two children running as hard as they could, stumbling blind with tears streaming from their eyes,

"I-it got Maki! It got Maki!" One of them screamed. Meia stepped forwards and asked what happened. The terrified children simply pointed a shaky arm down the tunnel,

"The Nero" She sobbed.

"Nero…hey! I thought you said this cavern was safe?" Meia yelled to their guide. His eyes were wide with fear,

"It should be, it is…how did it get in?"

Sephiroth's eyes narrowed and he set off down the shaft, summoning Masamune as he did so. Most of the children gasped at the sight of the manifested sword glinting in the dull light. Meia set off after her superior with the boy in tow,

"Stay back, we'll take care of it for you. Stay where it's safe" She ordered him, but the boy shook his head,

"No. I need to see if Maki is ok!" And before Meia could protest he'd ran off after Sephiroth. They proceeded down the shaft, following the banks of the Lifestream River. After several hundred meters, a tunnel opened to their right, illuminated by soft lamps. Judging by the parked cars and supplies, it was the start of the tunnel that led out of the mine. Sephiroth stopped and listened. The smell was back, wafting in and out of the senses but defiantly there. The passage ahead wasn't lit at all, save from the glow of the lifestream than ran through it. He turned to the boy,

"What's up there?" He asked sternly.

"Just the river. I think it ends in a waterfall but…we're too scared to go any further than this"

"I see. Go back now"

"No! I…"

"I said go back" Sephiroth snapped. He had no desire to babysit any longer, "Don't make me repeat myself again"

The boy stared at him with fearful eyes and nodded, scampering back the way they'd came. Meia and Sephiroth pressed on, the latter relying on his unique eyes to help him see their way. Meia couldn't see anything beyond the glow of the lifestream and had to trust him completely to see them safely down the shaft. The more they walked, the stronger the smell. It was by now enough to turn Meia's stomach, they must be close. Sephiroth stopped to listen again and sure enough, they could make out soft wailing and raspy breathing.

They carried on slowly, noticing the tunnel was opening out and a soft green glow was pooling at the end of the shaft. But it was different from a mako haze, it was somehow clearer, clean, the sound of cascading liquid could be heard but it was soft rather than a crashing torrent. Soon they saw why, it was as the boy said. The lifestream cascaded over a rocky lip into a pool below where it disappeared into a subterranean river beneath the rocks.

As Meia drew her eyes up again, her heart leapt; she saw the Nero on the opposite bank. She took a step back but stumbled on something. Her expression twisted into sorrow and anger as the lifeless eyes of a young boy stared up at her, bodiless. He wore a terrified expression and she turned her attention back to the Nero. Sephiroth was observing it, and it Him. Neither moved. Sephiroth was aware there was nothing to cut down until it took solid form, but how to force it into such a state? The solution was simple but risky. Simply let it attack and he could destroy it, but what if it went for Meia? Could he destroy the creature without harming her? He would have to trust her to look after herself.

Meia had an idea and unhooked the lamp from her belt and cast a look at Sephiroth. He stared at her a moment before understanding. Reluctantly he nodded and Meia clicked the torch on,

"Hey! Over here!" She called, catching its attention right away. She braced herself as the wraith turned to her and began to move. The events that happened afterwards all happened at once, and with terrifying speed…

First, from out of the darkness came their guide. He'd ignored Sephiroth and doubled back on himself as soon as the SOLDIER's were out of sight. He dove in front of Meia with no thought to what was happening, simply crying his friends name as he beheld the bodiless head behind her. The wraith let out a horrid, bloodcurdling howl and took on solid form as it set foot on the bank in front of Meia and the boy. Meia swore loudly as the child was batted out the way by the wraith with such force he flew through the air wearing a look of shock.

But as soon as its form was solid, Sephiroth had aimed a deadly slice perfectly, severing the putrid inhuman body cleanly in two. He stared as it fell to the ground in a rotten pile, it truly was disgusting. But what Meia did next sent a chill down his spine and he watched in horror as she dashed after the boy, who by now had cleared the apex of the lifestream waterfall and was set to fall into the pool below.

Meia knew that no normal human could survive contact with the lifestream for very long. This child was doomed unless she did something. Not once did she think about the consequences of her actions as she dove off the rocks after him. If she could form a barrier around them both, she could hopefully stop contact with the green ichor of the planet before it did any fatal harm to him. And her…As she predicted, she caught him mid-air and focused all she could into her barrier magic and seconds later, they plunged into the green pool.

The current was strong, far stronger than Meia had predicted and it threatened to suck them both down in the dark depths of the planet but she fought with all her strength and pushed to the surface. The boy was clinging to her for his life so she used both arms and managed to surface, fighting the deadly sucking current and heading for the small banks around the edge of the pool. Finally she managed to set the boy up on the rocks, he looked at her with horror filled eyes and she managed a faint smile. The barrier she had erected wasn't working now as well as she hoped and the more the lifestream seeped in, the weaker she got. Before long she struggled to hold on to the side, losing her grip entirely she went under again.

Sephiroth had dived in as soon as Meia hit the surface of the green pool, and when she went under again, he sucked in a deep breath and went down after her. How could he let this happen? A steady stream of cursing was working through his mind as he struggled to see through the glow of the strange liquid he was currently fighting through. But he managed to find Meia and with several strong kicks caught hold of her. He felt her clutch weakly at his coat, grabbing her as her grip slipped. She couldn't hold on, she was too weak. It was up to him to get them out but they had already passed far underground, the current putting more and more distance between them and safety. He fought against it but to his horror, he was becoming weak as well. He could only use one arm and try as he might, he could no longer fight the current.

Sephiroth's eyes widened as he realised that deep beneath the planet, carried on its life blood, he may well die. He couldn't believe it. Never before had he been in such a position. Never before had he faced his own mortality. He didn't fear it; he only wondered why it was happening.

He stopped struggling after a while and looked down at the tousled black locks of hair swirling around his chest. It was because of her. Sephiroth held Meia close and tilted her head up so he could see her face. She was unconscious, he'd felt her body choke on the liquid that filled her lungs a short while ago and now she was at peace. As he held her, being ever swept by the raging current, a flood of regret invaded his mind. It couldn't end like this; there was so much he had to tell her, so much he wanted to experience with her. He pulled her closer and pushed his lips to her forehead, where he closed his eyes and lingered. He could feel his lungs start to heave, trying to force him to take a breath and he fought it as long as he could, defying it all for one more moment with Meia.

At last, unable to take it any longer, Sephiroth sucked in a lifestream soaked breath and he gagged, feeling it burn his lungs and throat. He grip on Meia never weakened as his world went dark, giving in to the peace of eternity…

Or so he thought…

* * *

O_O

What have I done! I've killed them!...or have I...*shifty eyes* Poor naieve Zack, I still love him though. Silly puppy...

Next chapter - :::error-0026698 - Unkown data - unable to display::: _coming soon..._

Please reveiw and let me know what you think If you have a spare moment ^^ x


	26. Chapter 25 Aegis

Rawr! It is done! Had to get this one right, it was quite nerve wracking D: I've probably still missed something, so my pre-apologies if later on i ask you to come back and re-read this after some editing XD;; (ah that sounds so lazy of me)

My usual thanks to my regular and new readers for continuing to follow the story :) And my big thanks to my reviewers, especially my beloved regulars. I less-than-three you (since i can't actually type it u_u) I hope you enjoy this chappie.

Music choice for Gismo (and anyone else who may be interested in a bit of BG music to read too) YouTube search - 'Ambient music - Other World _by Alacazam_' (the thumbnail is green and thar be fishies in the vid, just so you know it's the right one)

**Disclaimer - Sephiroth and original place names and plot are property of Square Enix and this is a work of fandom, not for profit. All I own is Meia, the odd OC and original place names.**

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* * *

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**Chapter 25**

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Drifting. The cold void which surrounds me mirrors my once emptied soul

What was it that changed? What was…my call…?

Floating. Do I move effortlessly through time and space….?

Or is my gradually awakening existence pulled toward your embrace.

I oft find myself wondering, time…and time again…

Falling. Is this just coincidence, or were you born to claim…

…My fragile heart…

…

…

…

_This one writes poetry in her dreams…_

_Yes, quite a talent I must say._

_She fell in with another?_

_Yes, what I wished to show you…_

_But, why Professor?_

_Because…she entered with your son…_

_My…son…?_

_Yes. He is here somewhere._

_I don't deserve to hold the title of Mother…_

_At least see Him. Aren't you curious?_

_Of course I am. I love him dearly…despite…my failing_

_Look, there he is…ah my, how he's grown since…my departure…_

_Sephiroth…my boy. How handsome he is, professor…_

_Yes, quite! You should be proud._

_I can't…I feel nothing but shame…_

_They can hear us, you know…_

…_my boy, I love you…I'm so sorry…I truly am…sorry…_

More disembodied voices…am I losing my mind?

* * *

_Midgar, Shinra building – Director Lazard's office_

The two First class SOLDIER's stood in front of their Director's desk, neither of which were willing to accept what they had just been told,

"Sir, we want to lead a mission to search for them" Angeal requested. Lazard removed his glasses and rubbed at the sore red welts on his nose,

"I'm afraid it's not that simple, gentlemen. I want to find them as much as you do, but we need to accept the facts. Meia and Sephiroth have been missing now for a long time. There is no trace of them in Clydia; their driver was the last to see them alive…"

"Alive? Does that mean the company has given up already…?" Genesis challenged. Lazard fixed him with a sad stare,

"It is very hard to believe that Sephiroth has perished, or allowed Miss LeSait to perish. But whatever happened out there, those two are officially M.I.A"

Angeal closed his eyes and sighed. M.I.A is better than K.I.A at least. . was used when the company knew full well what had happened to their members, but chose to cover it up by reporting they had been killed in the line of duty. M.I.A means that they genuinely are missing and the company knew nothing. It occurred to Angeal that it really was no better, now he thought about it.

"Please, Director…there must be something you can do. Let us go out and find them" Angeal pleaded. Lazard thought a moment, before leaning back,

"Well…if you two continue being uncooperative and insubordinate…I'll have to suspend you from duty…" He said slowly. Genesis and Angeal slowly perked up, twigging to their director's plan.

* * *

A small crash.

A soft thud…

Pale rose lips curled into a smile as their owner beheld the sight in front of him. A small boy, a mere four years old, was currently scrambling on his hands and knees, chasing a bouncing green orb as it got away from him.

Sephiroth couldn't recall how many times he'd seen this memory now, but each time it made him smile. He watched his then clumsy body trip and tumble down the hill. The same hill he'd tumbled down almost seventeen years ago. He looked up, searching in the fields, looking for what caused his happiness each time he re-lived this memory. Right on cue, a small girl skipped out from the orchard she was playing in and picked up the materia that had come to rest at her feet.

Meia…

Sephiroth sat on the soft, warm grass beneath him and drew his knees up, watching the two children as they played out their exchange before him. He lay his head down on his legs and breathed in the sweet, fragrant scent of the air around him. Summer grass and wild flowers. A scent he'd come too associated with Meia. The smell would remind him of her and this day. It was always pleasant to catch it away on a mission, where his mind and soul would be trapped in a moment of comfort. He was content. Nothing bothered him, not even his other, darker, memories. He'd even forced himself to remember them, but the memory he was living shooed them away from his mind, like an over protective nanny.

He watched as little Meia ran off into the distance, answering her Grandfathers call. If Sephiroth was dead, he didn't mind. The memory faded into white light, enveloping him, comforting him as he closed his eyes, a smile still lingering on his lips as he drifted into another peaceful sleep.

* * *

Silence once more. Darkness. Marred now only by the occasional wisp of ethereal green energy. She hugged her knees tight to her chest and tried in vain to see past it. But it was no use. Meia couldn't recall how she arrived in the position she was in, nor could she figure out exactly what she was seeing. A gentle sigh met her ears, a small moan…the sounds she heard on the cliff top that night. They were all around her now, gently talking…crying, pleading…

She leant back and her body tilted, drifting backwards as if she were sitting on air. She'd given up calling out quite a while ago, but what was a while? An hour? A day? It could have been longer. It could have been a mere five minutes. She closed her pale blue eyes and tried to remember what happened.

A small boy. Falling towards a vast green pool.

A leap of faith to save him. Only she had no idea what she would be saving him from. Meia sighed, so that was it. She'd fallen in the river. And been sucked into the depths of the planet.

Sephiroth…

He tried to save her. She could faintly recall his strong arms seize her, pulling her close. The leather of his coat slipping through her weak fingers and she tried to grasp him, hold onto him. She knew he was the only one capable of saving her but…she realised…he may have failed.

So this was the lifestream. A dark void where you were kept awake by whispers and phantoms. Meia extended her legs and stretched them. To her surprise, her toes touched solid ground and she looked down. Grass. Vibrant green, littered with tiny wild flowers. She looked around her; a scene was unfolding, melting outwards; a wild meadow on the edge of an orchard. A breeze tousled her hair and she instinctively tucked it behind her ear. Her arm was bare and she looked over herself. Her uniform was gone, replaced with a delicate yellow dress. A very distinct dress…

A familiar presence…Meia looked up, her hear sang with hope just in case…just in case it was him. She knew he was here somewhere, they had gone under together. As one. But to her dismay she didn't behold the tall confident figure of her friend. It was something else entirely…

* * *

This time he passed by the children, casting a fond look downwards at the glossy dark head beyond his fingertips. He carried on into the town, to the house he knew an elderly man would appear from. Sephiroth still couldn't understand how he was so calm, so peaceful. He only felt like this on odd occasions. The occasions when Meia was with him, when he could sleep at ease. Only now he was enveloped in it, cocooned. Protected.

Meia brought him peace, he knew that now. But why? What was so special about her? He found himself asking the same question he would ask almost on a daily basis by now. She was here, he could feel it. He knew it was the only explanation for the memory, the calm that he felt.

Sephiroth watched Meia's grandfather step from his house and look for his granddaughter. He looked happy but the signs of illness were plain to see. His body, where once he may have been healthy, was thin and wasting. His cheeks were sunken but his smile shone through, creasing his eyes into a loving expression ready to greet Meia. She ran to him, her face a picture of pure innocent happiness. She was too young to understand… Sephiroth knew that after this day, her whole life would be turned upside down and the first negative feeling worked its way into his skull.

The cocoon was breaking….

Sephiroth's eyes twisted into a look of sadness as the door of the house closed. He sighed and turned, waiting for the inevitable fade to white. But it didn't come. The breeze swept his long fringe in front of his eyes as he looked around. The memory was staying…but why? He couldn't recall anything after he was dragged up the stairs. Not of this day at least. He took a few steps forward and placed his hand on the grey stone wall of a well before him. It felt solid and real. He wandered around for a while, trying to understand what was happening. It felt like he'd woken up from a pleasant sleep and now he was confused, like it was any other day. Except he was still in the town in his memory's.

It wasn't until he'd walked a small way into the meadow beyond the town square that he got his answer. He could see her, Meia. Only she wasn't a child. She was fully grown but still wearing the dress. She was looking at something, her gaze cast towards a line of trees but there was nothing there. As he got closer to her, he could see a familiar expression. Confusion, annoyance…defiance…

* * *

Meia had never seen this thing before. She couldn't call it a person because she was certain it wasn't human. But it took the form of a woman with blue grey skin. Her body wasn't quite natural, her waist was incredibly thin and she was unclothed. Anatomy wise, the resemblance to humans was there, but she wasn't quite accurate. Her eyes were red, cold and staring…glowing and she was leering with a confident smile. Meia could almost say she was beautiful, but her alien appearance turned her away. And on her back was the most startling thing of all; a pair of blood red wings, formed not of feather and bone but of something else entirely. The swirling, corded patterns spiralled outwards forming an impressive span. And the hair on her head…was as white as snow…

"What are you? Why are you in my memory…?" Meia asked. The life form laughed. Her voice was cold, almost metallic when she replied to Meia's question. And terrifyingly familiar,

"You know exactly who I am, Meia…"

"I'm tired of playing your games! I don't know you, now answer my question…" Meia challenged. The creature took a step forwards and Meia was horrified to discover her own body mirroring the step,

"I'm what grants you your power. Because of me, you were saved. Because of me, you're alive…" She uttered, her voice low. Meia swallowed; perhaps cryptic riddles were the only thing it could respond with…

"I'm alive because I was saved; I was given the SOLDIER treatment. Not because of you"

"My child, what do you think that treatment is?"

Meia's eyes went wide. What did it mean?

"I see realization dawns…" It took another step forwards, forcing Meia to do the same, "Your alive because of me. And now I want you to return the favour by serving me"

"I refuse" Meia stated defiantly, ever struggling to back away from this thing. But she could not; her limbs were tied to it like a puppet to a master…

"Meia…look at you, you can't refuse my influence even now. You step towards me like an obedient servant, you can't fight me. I can control anything that has my presence within them…except one"

Meia was painfully aware that by now, their bodies were close. Closer than she ever cared to be. The creature was tall, powerful. Her personal presence made the air tingle as if it were charged with static…

"I used to be able to influence him. When he was a boy…but as he grew, he became strong and I knew I had to break him down slowly. But then you came, just when I was starting to make progress…you showed up" It continued to speak to her in a low metallic voice, by now its body was almost touching Meia, "You made him remember this disgusting field, this pathetic town full of these pathetic people" These words were spat, like venom from a snakes mouth, "It seems this planet still hopes to stop me. Fate…guiding that insignificant little necklace to fall from your tiny human neck…no, not human…worse…just like _them_…"

Meia swallowed heavily as the creature bent down low and caressed her cheek with a cold, almost scaly hand. She looked into its eyes and her stomach lurched. The pupils…were slits…

* * *

Sephiroth continued to watch Meia as she took calculated steps forward. But her body was clearly trying to fight them. He had tried calling her, tried touching her…but despite feeling her warm skin beneath his fingertips she didn't stir to his touch. He heard her speaking, asking questions to thin air and visibly, she was repulsed by whatever was in front of her. Now her head was tilted up with a look of fright on her face. His eyebrows tightened in concern. What was happening to her? He stood behind her and tried to pull her back, his hands on her waist. But she wouldn't move. There was no give at all. Like he was trying to move a statue.

"Meia…what's happening to you?"

* * *

Meia felt the breeze around her waist, a soft caress over her head but still, she could not pull away from this entity. It bent even closer to her, its icy lips brushing hers as it spoke,

"He's here now…" It rasped, "Trying to help you…he can't. No one can. I will have you and once you are under my control…he will be too…"

"He…Sephiroth?" Meia choked, she was repulsed by the proximity of this thing, whose lips twisted into a wide smile as its reply, "What are you…" Meia repeated.

"I am Jenova, my child"

"Jenova…" Meia gasped, "No…you can't be, Sephiroth's…? But…you're not human, you can't be!"

"I may as well be. His mother died after she'd bore him. A pathetic, weak human being who couldn't bring herself to face life anymore. I've watched him, nurtured him from afar…I am the source of his power…"

"That doesn't qualify you; he isn't a puppet for you to play with"

"But he is. Science has made him so. Science even made you my puppet, Meia, and now I will take you to be mine and you will no longer shield him from my influence"

"Shield him? I protect him…?"

"Hard to believe but yes, because of what you are woman, and because of what the Shinra has made you into. I can't touch him while you're around. And if you are not, he recalls this wretched memory as a barrier…"

Meia squirmed; she had no desire to be held here by this creature anymore. She ignored it, everything it said from now on she blocked out; focusing only on breaking the hold it had over her. If what it said were true, everything was in danger. Sephiroth on his own was powerful enough to cause chaos. He was a bridled weapon, restrained only by his own sense of sanity and intelligence. But if he chose too, or was forced to…he could destroy everything. She hated thinking of him like this, but it was true. All SOLDIER's were the same, even her…

She fought to push back, away from Jenova, away from its deadly influence. The parts of her begging to give in were caged deep within once more and Meia brought them under control. Then she felt it. Warmth, human contact on her waist. She focused on it, tuned into it. The sensation extended up her back, something was pressed there. Something she knew. Meia scowled at Jenova in triumphant defiance,

"You will never control me. You will never control him. I don't know what you want, but you will never achieve it" She growled at her captor, relishing the look of shock that spread over its face when it realised it could no longer restrain her. Gradually Meia stepped back, away from the alien, away from its cold clammy skin and stale dry breath. Away from its icy lips. The warmth she felt on her back never left her and it gave her strength.

And then, with a twisted scream that contorted Jenova's features into a hideous mask of fury, she was gone. The air was still and calm now. The wind no longer stirred and everything was quiet. Meia looked around; although the absence of Jenova was a relief, she couldn't help but feel she wasn't done here yet. Sure enough, where Jenova once stood appeared a brilliant white figure, and another and another. Meia was puzzled and simply stared…

"Meia, your safe now"

She continued staring. Safe wasn't exactly what she had in mind although she defiantly acknowledged the improvement, "Am I?"

"You must have questions…"

"You have no idea…" She replied, shaking her head, "Where am I? Would be a good place to start"

"You are in the lifestream"

"So I'm dead, then…"

"No, Meia. We are sustaining your life. Sephiroth's too"

Meia tilted her head and nodded, "Ok, who are you?"

"We are the voice of the planet. Once, we were a proud peace loving race, but that was what caused our downfall…we welcomed the alien, the calamity…Jenova, with open arms. But her only intent was to destroy us and claim this planet as hers" The voiced replied. Their collective tone changed into a sad lament,

"How did you stop her?" Meia asked, folding her arms about her waist and noticing the warmth beneath her hands…

"The few of us that remained true to the planet sacrificed ourselves to seal Jenova deep beneath the planet's surface, where she lay dormant"

"And now she's back, and she wants Sephiroth…why?"

"She seeks to control him, she desires his power…" The scene before Meia changed and an image of burning, raging flames appeared, "His mother…had this vision while she carried him in her womb and we knew that Jenova must not be allowed to influence him" Meia gasped as a figure walked towards her through the flames…Sephiroth. His expression was dark and terrifying. Betrayal, rage…hatred. She saw all of these distorting his beautiful face into that of a demon's. She swallowed down the hard lump in her throat as he passed through her and dissipated, along with the inferno,

"We confess, Meia, that it is no mere co-incidence you two met. No mere co-incidence that against all odds, you found one another again. You both have parts to play in what is to come…" The voice stated, fading slightly. Meia realised and called out,

"No, wait! You can't go…I still have questions, what am I? Jenova referred to me as 'one of them' what did it mean?"

But the voices didn't respond to her question, merely offering a final line before the white figures faded entirely,

_Protect each other…_

_

* * *

_

Sephiroth listened to Meia's one sided conversation, his arms gently wrapped around her waist, his body pressed close to hers. He didn't understand everything that she said, how could he when he couldn't hear the other side? But he knew that she was fighting hard against something, fighting for herself and for him. She was as confused as he was yet she still fought. No one had ever fought on his behalf before. He had no need for someone to do such a thing. Not physically, at least. And was convinced that at Shinra, where he was bred and trained to fight, emotions and feelings weren't important enough to protect. The only man that had ever treated him as a boy, a child, vanished and left him in the cold grey world of Midgar.

He decided not to think about what Meia had said, how she had reacted, when she obviously heard the word 'Jenova' He would ask her about it when he could. If they ever woke up. He heard Meia ask someone if they were dead and he presumed from her quick acceptance at the answer that it wasn't the case. So where were they? Drifting through the planet, he could only assume…

"You're there…aren't you?"

Sephiroth looked down at the soft black hair against his collarbone in mild shock, she could sense him?

"I…can feel you" She continued, "Thank you for saving me, I promise…I'll stay away from pools of green liquid from now on"

He couldn't help but smile. Still she retained her sense of humor, faced with uncertainty…

"I don't know why I can't see you, perhaps…this isn't my memory and I'm trespassing. But…we'll wake up soon, I'm sure of it" She tilted her head up and watched the clouds drift by. Sephiroth felt her hands resting gently on his, her soft feathery hair tickling his chest and he looked up also. The cocoon was returning to normal, his peace was coming back, and with it, Meia began to fade. He sighed and watched her step away into the breeze, dissipating like spring petals before his eyes. He laid himself in the long sweet grass, closed his eyes and waited.

* * *

The orange sun sat low on the horizon, bathing the sky in a fiery red glow. Rising against it were the mountains that formed the southern extension of the range Mt Nibel was a part of. On the coast, a small village had settled, specializing in breeding and selling the finest shellfish from the shallow waters of the sea. For some reason, they grew big and tasty there and had put the town on the map. Just about…

A young couple walked their dog on the sands of the nearby bay. Its long hair was hopelessly knotted and tangled from the seawater it had been playing in. Its owners walked hand in hand some way behind its enthusiastic escapades, laughing and chatting about this and that. They looked up as the dogs bark sounded, alerting them to something it found on the sand. They couldn't quite make it out and they hurried closer. Two people, washed up on the beach. The woman gasped, holding her hands to her mouth. Two corpses probably. Perhaps trying to steal some shell fish?

The man ventured forward; a larger figure appeared to be clutching a smaller one close to its chest. Long silver hair cascaded and tumbled all around them in a mess of tangles and knots. Despite his partner's protests, the man placed a hand on a rather large pauldron and tugged. Like the sleeping limp form of a child, the figure yielded easily to his pull and tipped over to lie on its back, the small figure falling loose as a result. Shakily, the man brushed aside the sodden silver hair from the face of the person lying in the sand…

"Jeeze, this is…I don't believe it, Jane! Run and get help quickly!"

The woman nodded and began to run back to the town, her dog in loyal pursuit. As the man peered at Sephiroth's still face he was given a fright when he suddenly convulsed. A deep, retching cough expelled two lungs worth of green fluid and he rolled to his side to get rid of the rest. The man had fallen on his backside and stared in shock. Finally, Sephiroth sucked in an enormous breath of fresh air and fell onto his back once more. He brought his palm to rest on his forehead and stared up at the orange sky. He was alive. His head was thundering with a savage headache and he tried to push it aside, but he felt his body shutting down again, probably trying to induce a state of rest to begin healing…

Meia…where was Meia?

He sat up, too fast for his vision faltered and he almost blacked out. But he willed himself to stay awake, forced his body to do as he commanded and gradually it did, but with great protest… He found her, curled up and face down in the sand next to him. Gently he lifted her shoulder and shook it, until she too expelled the lifestream in her chest. She coughed and hacked, fighting for air, her hands clawed at the sand beneath her fingertips with the strain. Sephiroth rolled her onto her back and managed to see, before he gave in to rest, her unconscious smile.

* * *

Uwaaah! Creepy cow! *beats Jenova with a stick* And I don't envy Sephiroth when he realises whats happened to his precious head of hair...

Next chapter - As two old friends rush to find their fallen comerades, Sephiroth tries to make sense of what happened in the lifestream. And will his beloved student regain consciousness?

Please leave a reveiw if you have a spare moment, I enjoy receiving feedback :)


	27. Chapter 26 A silent bond

Good eeeevening one and all! Sorry this is a bit late, but it was another case of 'having to get it right' u_u many a problem could arise from me not writing this one properly XD;

My usual thanks to my regular readers, and another thank you to my new ones :) And my biggest thanks to my regular reviewers, I really am very lucky to have people willing to write reviews that are substantial, as opposed to one liners - you guys rock, seriously :)

Music for Gismo - Youtube search - 'The positive distraction' by Paul Collier (thumbnail is a lil fish in a pond) This is just a nice track I listen to when I need to focus, has appropriate levels of emotion for the chapter though so I played it on repeat.

**Disclaimer - Original characters, place names and plot are copyright to Square Enix. I do not own them and this is a work of fandom, not for profit. all I own is Meia, my own original place names and OC's.**

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* * *

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**Chapter 26**

Angeal and Genesis couldn't believe their luck as the latter snapped shut his phone. Lazard had just informed them of a call that was made from a small town they were close too. Apparently two people washed up on the beach the day before last, both wearing Shinra uniforms. One in particular was very recognisable…

"Can't you drive faster, Angeal?" Genesis protested, wrestling with a map in his lap. Angeal shook his head,

"This is all we're getting. If we aren't careful, we won't be able to get back again. There's that to consider too" The gruff man replied. Angeal was currently rougher around the edges than usual. Genesis informed him to take the next right and after that, they should be in the town in about an hour. He rested his elbow on the open window and bit down on a gloved finger. They both prayed Sephiroth and Meia were still healthy.

* * *

The sound of cicada's. Lots of them, chirping away outside his window. Normally he would be highly irritated by the sound. But strangely enough today, he didn't care. Sephiroth blinked his half-closed eyes slowly and listened to them. If he could hear them, he was alive. He didn't think the afterlife would be so cruel as to torment him with a sound he normally detested.

For a man who never got ill, hardly ever gave a second thought to pain and most certainly retained control over his body at all times…He was feeling very peculiar now. Sephiroth felt so drained of energy he was certain his body had been replaced by a sack of underground tubers…He didn't have a headache anymore, but he felt very fuzzy in the brain department. He'd given up trying to figure out where he was a while ago and resigned himself to stare at the ceiling fan spinning away lazily above him.

He motivated himself to glance across the room at the small figure in the bed next to him. She hadn't woken up yet. This worried him. The doctors said that she didn't appear too able to recover as well as him. Of course, he knew this. But it didn't make the waiting any easier. He found himself wishing he could stir some kind of reaction from his body, enough to make his way to her bedside. He wanted to sit and wait, be closer to her. But the doctor wouldn't allow it and he was in no state to argue with a doctor. Plus, it was nice to have a man in a white lab coat actually concerned about him for once. Casting one last glance at Meia, Sephiroth closed his eyes and drifted back to sleep.

Genesis leapt out of the car before Angeal had even brought it to a complete stop, ignoring the man's usual grumblings. He stepped forward and looks around for the building most likely to be the town's medical facility. Angeal joined him as a young woman approached them,

"Are you from Shinra?" She asked timidly. Both men nodded, "Ah, you're here about the call then. Let me show you to our hospital"

The two SOLDIER's followed closely behind her, noting the curious townspeople as they stopped what they were doing to watch them. The woman spoke again,

"My fiancé and I found them a few evenings ago. Gave us quite a fright, we assumed they were dead but…" She trailed off as she led them into a moderately sized one story building, overlooking the glistening ocean bay nearby. A doctor was already waiting to greet them,

"You must be from Shinra. Welcome, let me show you to our patients" He tucked a clipboard he had under his arm and led them to the end of a corridor. Quietly, he opened the door to the room beyond. Genesis heaved a huge sigh of relief as he stepped through; followed by Angeal who praised whatever powers he could under his breath. Both Meia and Sephiroth were alive, according to their heart monitors. They stood and watched their unconscious friends with the doctor,

"I assume you know these two then" He paused as Angeal and Genesis nodded in confirmation, "I must say, when they were brought in I thought it was a miracle they were alive. They have both been exposed to the lifestream; most people at the very best are left with permanent brain damage but…" The doctor paused and examined a few instruments linked to Sephiroth, "Well. This one certainly shows no signs of it"

Angeal and Genesis looked at each other. They expected nothing less from Sephiroth but…

"This one? Is there something wrong with the woman, Doc?" Angeal asked, his eyebrows tightening. The doctor sighed and looked at her,

"We'll know more when she wakes up. She hasn't regained consciousness yet" He replied, his voice heavy. "Well, I'll let you have a moment or two with them" And the man left.

Angeal approached Meia's bedside carefully. She showed no signs of injury or illness. Her complexion didn't look any different than it usually did. Her chest rose and fell gently; it was almost as if she were merely sleeping. He heard Genesis sigh; he'd taken a seat in the chair beside Sephiroth,

"Do you think she'll pull through? I know she's a SOLDIER and all but…" He trailed off; his voice had lost most of its lethargic drawl and was unusually timid. Angeal thought a moment,

"I think she will. Meia is tough…besides…she'd never leave Sephiroth" He replied quietly. Genesis nodded and looked at his friends pale face, into the green eyes that were currently open in small slits, observing him. He caught his breath before smiling,

"Hey! Your awake, thank Gaia" Genesis exclaimed. Angeal moved to the foot of Sephiroth's bed and rested his hands on it. Sephiroth averted his gaze to the ceiling fan once again,

"Of course I'm awake. I heard your voice and my body instantly reacted in fear that we were going to have to endure another Loveless recital…" He said softly. Genesis stared a moment before grinning and shaking his head. Angeal chuckled,

"Good to see everything is still working, though I hate to break it to you Sephiroth, but…you look like shit"

Sephiroth's lips curled into a faint smile. Finally his record was broken. He forced himself to sit up, denying any help from his two friends. At least now he felt a little more energized. He glanced over at Meia, his smile leaving him as he beheld her sleeping form…

"She still hasn't woken up, has she…" He asked no one in particular. Both of his friends shook their heads sadly. He blinked slowly and sagged back into his pillows. He was beginning to worry again…

"Sephiroth, what happened in Clydia?" Angel asked, now sat on his bed. Sephiroth didn't feel in the mood to try and discuss it. Everything was still so muddled, so unclear. He closed his eyes again,

"Please, I don't really want to go through it at the moment" He replied calmly. His voice was dry and cracking slightly, so he asked for some water which Angeal gladly obliged him with. He sank an entire glass and requested another, which he took slower. He paused as a thought crossed his mind; how long had they been missing?

"How long have we been gone?" He asked them suddenly, taking another mouthful of water. The two SOLDIER's exchanged glances before Genesis held his hands up,

"Four weeks. Everyone has been having kittens over it…" He answered. Sephiroth simply stared. Four weeks in the lifestream, was that even possible? A day or so he could live with. But a four week exposure…the consequences of this revelation started to unravel in Sephiroth's head and he closed his eyes with a sigh.

Genesis called Lazard, something they promised they'd do as soon as they'd found Sephiroth and Meia. The director was relieved to learn both missing SOLDIER's were alive and advised he'd be sending transport out to recover them immediately.

The three friends sat for a while, Genesis and Angeal making light conversation to which Sephiroth barely participated in. Until a soft groan interrupted them…

Meia felt like she had just woken from the bottom of a deep well, or from under a large weight. A soft moan escaped her lips as her fogged mind pushed her consciousness into the physical world once more. She had slept soundly since leaving Sephiroth's memory in the lifestream, nothing had disturbed her. Her eyesight was fuzzy and she strained to make out the shapes dotted around her field of vision. Her numb skin became aware of freshly pressed cotton and light clothing. Then a large form appeared on her left and she turned her head. Oh how it ached, had she been sleeping on it?

"Genesis…? Is that you?" She croaked. Her throat was raw and scarred, probably from inhaling, breathing and then expelling lifestream. Something she remembered happening now,

"Yes, it is" Meia noted he sounded quite happy. She turned her head to the right and blinked a few times. Her eyesight slowly returned to normal and she smiled, beholding a familiar set of eyes,

"I know you…" She said with a sigh. Sephiroth relaxed into his pillows and beheld her, his relief plain to see as his mouth widened into a genuine smile. She was alright; she showed no symptoms of mako poisoning. Angeal and Genesis dismissed themselves shortly after she woke, leaving Sephiroth with her. He sat himself up again and watched as she tried to assess what she had control of and what she didn't. Eventually, she gave up and accepted for now; she would have to lie on her back…

"I'm glad to see you awake, Meia. I was getting worried" He said softly, gazing ahead peacefully. He heard her groan in acknowledgment,

"I just wanted to sleep in, that's all" She replied, her voice still hoarse, "Sephiroth…what happened to us? What can you remember?"

He rolled his head to the side and looked at her. She was staring at him; her eyes were a lot brighter than usual. But then being pickled in the lifestream probably saw copious amounts of the substance absorbed into their systems. Sephiroth heaved himself onto his side, where it was easier to look at her,

"Quite a lot, to be honest. Though I don't understand any of it…" He confessed. Meia nodded and closed her eyes. He should let her sleep…she was probably exhausted,

"But we'll talk later. Rest, Meia" He told her softly, noticing her small smile,

"Mhmm. But…until we have spoken, I don't think you should tell anyone else…for now, ok?" She asked him quietly. He nodded and watched her drift back to sleep. It was a sensible request, he wanted to try and understand everything that happened with her before he had to tell anyone else.

The doctor returned a short while later and was astounded when Sephiroth told him Meia appeared to be fine. Sephiroth was taken off the machines that monitored him and told he could move about now, as long as he was careful. Straight away Sephiroth consumed more fluids, gulping down water and appreciating its immediate effect on his body. But not on his bladder and he set off to search for a bathroom. When he came back, Meia was awake again and trying to sit up. He tilted his head and observed her struggling, before she looked at him with a silent plea for help. He moved to her side and obliged, sipping his arm under her legs and around her back to lift her into a seated position, where he propped her up with pillows.

By now the sun was beginning to set, warm gold sunlight was streaming in through the windows behind their beds. Sephiroth draped a soft robe over Meia's shoulders and settled beside her in a chair. He'd also locked the door so they weren't disturbed. She sipped on her third glass of water, also savagely consuming her first two as Sephiroth had done. A stray lock of hair was tucked behind her ear and she relaxed backwards into the nest of pillows Sephiroth had arranged for her,

"So, what was it like for you in there?" She asked him, staring at the wall opposite her. Sephiroth followed her gaze and sighed,

"It was calm, peaceful. I kept reliving the memory of us as children, over and over" He shifted his gaze and beheld her once again, "But I never got sick of it. Every time I was smiling and watching…until…"

Meia turned to observe him, noting that his eyes were very bright, even in the sunlight…

"Until?" She pressed him, setting her now empty glass on the table beside her. Sephiroth sighed and leaned forward, resting his elbows on her bed,

"Until it changed. I saw you as an adult. And I watched you move, heard you talking…but I couldn't hear who too…" He finished, leaning back again. Meia nodded. So, he'd heard _her_ talking, but not Jenova…or the strange ethereal voices that came after it. Meia hoped He would react well to what she was about to tell him,

"Sephiroth? I think Shinra may have lied to you…about your mother's name…" She stated quietly. He didn't respond and she risked a glance at him. He was gazing out the window, a sad expression on his face…

"I…thought as much" He whispered quietly. Meia reached beside her and took his hand, wrapping her smaller one around it,

"I'm sorry. I truly am" She offered him. Sephiroth let out a sad sigh and turned to look at her again,

"It's ok, Meia. I'm glad it was you who found out…I don't think I would have believed anyone else, even if I did see half of it with my own eyes"

"That's a strange thing to say. What do you mean?" Meia blinked and tilted her head a little. Sephiroth hesitated before replying,

"Recent events…have made me realise how blinded I've been. Blinded by loyalty to Shinra, when Shinra are the ones holding all the cards" He looked at her, "It's taken someone with a lot of courage to finally make me see past all that"

"Why do you trust me so much?" She asked quietly. Her question was genuine, she was curious as he'd never really opened up to her on the subject. He hesitantly grasped her hand on his gently and stroked it with his thumb,

"Because…you're honest and genuine. You see past the SOLDIER, past the front I put up and past the picture other people paint of me. Despite my deliberate icy front and fearsome reputation, you still genuinely desire to be around me. Not a lot of people can do that. Most people are too afraid to even approach me. You though…" He looked up at her, "You're not afraid of me, Meia…I can trust you" He smiled sheepishly at her, a tiny pink tinge appearing on his cheeks. She smiled at him and watched him stroke her hand gently,

"I see. I don't really give it a second thought, you know? As if being around you is natural" She paused, "Or I'm so dense I don't notice all those things…" She trailed off, feigning a look of confusion. Sephiroth smiled and simply beheld her, until she shrugged and watched their hands once more,

"You know, in the lifestream, I learned a lot" She began again, quietly, "I…I think we need to be very careful from now on. The voices we hear…" She trailed off again, looking at Sephiroth with worry lined eyes. He frowned slightly,

"What about them?"

Meia swallowed dryly, desiring another drink to sip to calm her nerves. How would he take what she was about to tell him?

"I learned that it's just one voice. And…it belongs to a life form, an entity" Meia's eyes glazed slightly as she remembered the repulsion she felt, "A dangerous entity. You remember what I said in Nibelheim?" Sephiroth nodded, not once had he taken his eyes off her, "Well I was right. It wants you, Sephiroth…" She finished quietly, forcing herself to look into his eyes. They were unblinking and still fixed on her, only now they were flicking ever so slightly. A tell-tale sign, she'd learned, that he was thinking. She decided to carry on,

"This thing is really dangerous, I think. From what I was told, anyway…"

"Told by whom…" He asked her softly.

"More voices" Meia answered, she couldn't help but feel a hint of humiliation. She was sounding crazier by the minute… "They came to me after the creature, told me she was bad news"

She could still feel his eyes on her but he hadn't stopped stroking her hand since she started. Almost as if he was reassuring her it was ok to carry on, "And I was also told that apparently I protect you from the entity's influence" Meia looked up and smiled sheepishly. She felt silly now. Not only was she telling Sephiroth a shrivelled up life form wanted him, she was also telling him, the most powerful human being on the planet, that she was protecting him. She swallowed,

"I'm sorry. This isn't making much sense…" She murmured, her embarrassment plain to see now. Sephiroth squeezed her hand gently and shook his head,

"I actually suspected as much" He confessed, which caused her to look at him, "I can always rest when you're close, I can never hear that irritating voice when you're with me and…well, you always end up troubled instead of me" He finish with a hint of regret in his voice. He paused and began again,

"The second set of voices…did they tell you who they were?" He asked, his head tilted. Meia shook her head,

"No. They vanished before I could ask" Meia blinked a few times and sighed,

"What's going on with us, Sephiroth? I was told we had 'parts to play' just before they disappeared altogether. Whatever that meant" Meia mused out loud, her eyes roaming over his tired looking features, "They also said…that we need to protect one another"

Sephiroth chuckled, the sound barely escaping his throat, "As if I need to be told to protect you…" He said quietly, almost haughtily, and prompting a look of mild shock from Meia. He'd never said anything like that to her before…

"I can't protect you, though…what can I do that you can't…" She asked him softly. Sephiroth's lips curled into a gentle smile,

"You can do more than you give yourself credit for…" He reassured her softly, tilting his head when she looked at him, "I don't doubt you'll ever let me down"

"I…think I understand" She replied, "One thing I defiantly understand though…" She carried on, with more resolve now she was reassured Sephiroth was taking everything quite well so far, "That the thing that assaulted me back there defiantly wasn't your mother"

"The thing attacking you in there was called Jenova?" Sephiroth quizzed. Meia inwardly winced before nodding; she'd forgot to tell him that bit. Although, doubting he wouldn't work it out on his own was a slight underestimation.

"She said things to me…" Meia began again, frowning as she tried hard to recall what she remembered, "Things that make me think you were misled for a reason. Why say the name of your mother is the same as this thing that's harassing us? It makes me think Shinra is keeping yet more secrets…it certainly doesn't seem like a co-incidence…" Meia was thinking out loud. She glanced at Sephiroth again, who simply returned her gaze with a neutral expression. She bit her lip as Sephiroth looked away, staring out the window again. His expression was a little darker…Meia began to worry. Eventually though, he sighed and looked down at their clasped hands again,

"Hmmm, then I'm back to knowing absolutely nothing about myself" Sephiroth concluded, his voice hinting the resentment he felt. Meia beheld him, her heart aching for her friend,

"There may be some truth in what they told you. Your real mother…" She hesitated again, "I think she did pass after giving birth to you" Meia suddenly remembered another set of whisperings, even before the encounter with Jenova. A woman was speaking with a man…but the memory kept fading, flitting in and out of her conscious mind. It slipped through her fingers and she simply couldn't recall anything more solid. She shook her head, muttering a quiet apology to the man sat beside her.

"Don't be sorry, Meia. It's alright. You don't need to worry about me. I won't have it…"

"But if I don't worry about you, who will?"

This statement had a profound effect on him. He looked at her, words left him as he beheld her face. She watched him, hesitation and concern written across her features. Would it be so bad to let her worry over him? He'd never relied on anyone before, not for anything. He could do everything he needed by himself. But if what she learned were true, he would need to allow her further into his personality, into himself. Sephiroth concluded that this wasn't a bad thing. After all, wasn't it what he secretly yearned for?

"Sephiroth?" Her voice brought him round, he had drifted off again. She was worried; he saw it in her face. And unlike Genesis or Angeal, she wasn't afraid of showing him her raw emotions. Not like she used to be…

"Alright Meia, I take that back. I'm just not used to accepting sympathy, is all" He told her quietly, with an apologetic squeeze of her hand.

"All I want is to help you, Sephiroth…" Meia said quietly, gazing ahead at the wall.

"I know, Meia…" He took his hand away from hers and cupped it around her face gently, forcing her with a gentle pull to look at him, "And I'm touched you care so deeply"

They smiled and nodded at each other, both agreeing silently that they had come to some kind of arrangement. Meia removed his hand gently from her face and planted the smallest, softest kiss on his fingertips, before lying back to stretch her cramped body. Sephiroth's momentary shock faded quickly and he smiled to himself. Such a delicate woman; It was almost hard to believe she was a SOLDIER, just like him. He realised he could learn a lot from Meia as well. He mused to himself; who was the mentor now?

"This may be traitorous of me but…I don't think we should tell Shinra exactly what happened back there" She said suddenly, "How long has it been anyway? Sephiroth observed her a moment before giving her the figure. She too, simply stared as her reaction. Sephiroth carried on,

"Give them a taste of their own medicine?" He enquired quietly. Meia nodded, having regained her composure, and looked at him,

"Not just that. What would Hojo do if he learned we'd been exposed to pure lifestream for so long?"

Sephiroth knew where she was going and he agreed with her. Hojo would seize the opportunity to use them as test subjects even more than he did now.

"And if Shinra are up to something with us, the best thing would be to feign ignorance" Meia added, now thinking out loud, her head resting in her hand. Sephiroth nodded and she spoke again,

"We shouldn't even tell Angeal and Genesis…if we did, we'd have to tell them everything…"

Sephiroth frowned, but acknowledged she had a point. It wasn't a matter of trust but the less people knew the better. And there was no reason for anyone other than them to know anyway. Sephiroth Sighed,

"From now on…" He began slowly, "I don't trust anything Shinra tells me. The only people I trust fully is Angeal, Genesis and you"

She looked at him, "Not even Lazard? He wouldn't lie to you, would he?"

"Not knowingly…"

"Ah…Of course" Meia caught his meaning. Even as a director, Lazard probably wasn't privy to everything. And as Sephiroth's boss, he would be the first point of call for a well-planned lie.

"So, we carry on then. As we usually do…just with our eyes open from now on" she concluded, earning a nod from Sephiroth.

"I'm going to get the doctor so he can give you a check-up" He stated, rising and stretching a little.

As Sephiroth predicted, Meia was also fine despite the lifestream exposure. The doctor was still at a loss to explain how neither of them was suffering from long term damage. They explained that being a SOLDIER meant their bodies were capable of handling far more than normal people. The man frowned,

"Yes but…I've treated your kind before after such exposure and let me tell you, they didn't make it through as well as you two did…" He said quietly, his hand on his chin. Meia and Sephiroth looked at each other,

"You have?" Sephiroth asked after a moment's pause. The Doctor nodded,

"Yes. I used to be a field medic for Shinra before the birth of my son. Lifestream exposure was rare but…well; they were treated and sent back to Midgar to recover"

The two SOLDIER's remained silent until the Doctor took Meia off her monitors and explained that she too was free to move about, so long as she was careful. After he left she got up and walked around to relieve her stiff muscles. Sephiroth was deep in thought again; now back in his own bed. When Meia came back he looked up,

"Meia…have you ever heard of other SOLDIER's being exposed to lifestream?"

She stopped a moment and looked at him. From what little files she was allowed access too, nothing hinted of any such thing. She sighed and moved next to his bed,

"No, never. Only mako"

Sephiroth crossed his arms and stared at his knees. Now he actually dared to think about it, there were a lot of loose ends with Shinra that he'd never spotted before. His eyes flicked up when he felt his bed disturbed and smiled slightly at the sight of Meia now settling on the end of his bed, legs crossed and reading a magazine,

"What are you thinking?" She commented, turning a page. Sephiroth rubbed his chin,

"If they were sent back to Midgar, where are they? Where did they go?" He mused out loud. Meia looked up at him from her magazine,

"You would have spotted something, wouldn't you?"

"Yes. I've lived in Midgar and Junon all my life, but not once have I seen sick SOLDIER's in either facility's hospitals or labs. It doesn't make sense, where did they go?"

Meia gazed at him a moment before replying, "It doesn't, your right. But…obviously the answer won't be so forth coming" She turned another page and sighed, "You told me in the mine you didn't want me worrying myself sick. You should follow your own advice…"

Sephiroth gave a low laugh, "Should I now"

Meia nodded as a knock on the door met their ears. It was Genesis and Angeal. Apparently a Shinra helicopter would be coming to retrieve them in a few days' time. Genesis started reading Meia's magazine over her shoulder while Angeal approached Sephiroth,

"Feel up to talking about what happened now?" He asked them. Sephiroth's eyes flicked up to meet Meia's, who was already looking at him with intent. They hadn't discussed yet what they would say…

"I-if it's alright…" She began quietly, "I don't really want to talk about it yet"

Angeal looked at her with sympathetic eyes, "I understand"

Meia gave him a small, apologetic smile, before going back to her magazine. Sephiroth sighed through his nose and leant back.

* * *

The following morning, Sephiroth already felt well enough to get back to his usual routine and although the facilities that Shinra offered were missing, he still found ways of exercise. Currently, he was paused at the top of a large hill he'd come across while running. He folded his arms over his chest and sighed. His body, initially stiff and un-used, had recovered almost immediately. And now he was astonished to discover he felt better than he ever had. The feeling was the same as the sensation immediately following a mako injection. Only better. His body showed no signs of fatigue from his usual exertions and he wondered how hard he could push himself…

He breathed in a chest full of fresh sea air and set off again, down the other side of the hill. The feeling was exhilarating and he pushed himself more this time. The speed he reached going downhill was dizzying, but his balance was such he never faltered, his footing was as steady as the mountains. He tore through a thicket of tree's, nimbly dodging and weaving through them, before bursting through into the open with amazing force.

Right into Meia's path.

She yelped at the sight of a fully grown man sprinting out into the open with the speed of a racing chocobo. Her instincts took over and she ground to a halt from her own momentum and crouched, shielding her head with her arms. Luckily, Sephiroth had enough time to assess the situation and hurdled cleanly over her head, not harming a single black hair. Meia looked up as he landed and stopped dead a few steps later, astonished that he wasn't even panting,

"Are you training to enter the gold cup races solo or something?" She asked him jokingly as he turned to face her. His face wasn't even flushed. He cast his eyes down with a sheepish smile,

"Perhaps. Are you sure you're well enough to be walking about?"

Meia snorted softly, "Of course I am. And I wasn't just walking either" She answered incredulously.

They began walking together out into the rolling hills, away from the town. The sun was now beginning its climb into the sky and the landscape was bathed in a morning glow. It was still chilly, however, and Meia zipped up the front of her borrowed tracksuit.

Their clothing and uniforms had been shredded during the time they spent in the lifestream. Snagged on rocks while underground and sharp coral once they had been spat out on the sea bed, they weren't fit to be worn anymore. Sephiroth was still in mourning for his beloved heavy leather jacket. It was brand new for the winter, now he'd have to get another one made…

"Red doesn't really suit you, y'know" Meia quipped quietly after a while. Sephiroth tossed the hair out of his eyes and snorted,

"It's better than baby pink…" He commented softly. Meia laughed,

"You have me on that one" She acknowledged, before holding a hand to her chin, "Sephiroth? Do you feel…different in any way?" She asked quietly. Sephiroth looked down at her, nodding silently. She pursed her lips, thinking,

"It's the same with me. I feel like I could dance on air, I'm much more agile…my reactions appear to be faster"

"I noticed. If we were anyone else, we would have collided back there" Sephiroth commented thoughtfully.

"You think it's because we were pickled for so long?"

"That and…were SOLDIER's. A four week, pure lifestream bath…who knows what else we can do" He finished softly. Meia nodded and they kept walking into the country side.

The land was wonderfully green and lush, enticing them to scale hills and view the scenery. Meia was intrigued by a scattering of trees atop a rather large knoll they had ascended just before noon. She picked her way through the greenery and found a collection of large stones that once may have been a monument or a building. Sephiroth watched her fondly; he always found her almost childlike innocence at the sight of nature endearing. Outside of Midgar, she was practically a different woman. The simplest things captivated and inspirited her; dew drops on grass, storm clouds rolling in the distance, the sight of little birds playing in the trees. She could smile at the smallest of things…in a way, he envied her.

Sephiroth made his way to the stone sentry's and sat down on a large, mossy slab which sadly appeared to have lost its legs a long time ago. A short time later, Meia joined him, turning a smooth beautiful stone she had found over in her hands,

"It's so nice here. I could almost forget I'm a SOLDIER living in a choked hole of a city…"

"Such high praise for Midgar, Meia…" Sephiroth responded gently. Meia smiled and dipped her head,

"Sorry. I shouldn't talk like that" She said quietly. Sephiroth's eyes roamed over her features, which were largely hidden by her messy crop of hair. Apparently taming it was something she had neglected to do today,

"And I told you a long time ago not to be sorry for talking like that" He stated, looking up at the sun's rays cutting through the foliage above them, "You can be yourself Meia, you know you can with me. Always"

Meia crossed her ankles and sighed, "True, still…no one likes constant negativity"

"No, but a friend tolerates his other friend's grievances, does he not? That's what they do…" He looked down at her, the sunlight casting a mottled pattern on her head, "I may lack the emotional repertoire of most people, but I still care, Meia"

She met his eyes and smiled for a brief second, before studying her stone again. They sat in silence for some time, listening to the wind whispering through the branches above them. Meia took in deep breaths of sweet, earth soaked air; slowly the ache in her chest was subsiding, the scars from the lifestream were gradually healing. Sephiroth rose and began his own inspection of the stone around them, running his fingertips over their slightly damp surfaces. Meia watched him as he did so and smiled inwardly.

Destiny had brought them together, or so she was told. But she was glad it did. Sephiroth comforted her in ways she never imagined. Simple, subtle ways that extended beyond the physical. Indeed, although secretly she longed for him on another level, the affection he gave her at the moment was enough. Knowing that he smiled for her in a certain way, a smile he showed no one else, was a wonderful feeling to her. Knowing he appeared to only touch her with his bare fingertips, when he kept his gloves on at all times, was wonderful as well. Their connection was subtle, but beautiful. A unique friendship, borne from the most unlikely of situations. Her inward smile forced its way to the surface and she beheld him as he explored, her mouth wide and happy,

"We should start thinking about what we're going to tell Lazard…and write in our reports. I can't play the traumatized victim for much longer" She stated with a contented sigh. Sephiroth appeared from behind a cluster of large rocks and nodded, before joining her once more.

* * *

Uh oh...shinra better watch out now D:! Updates may be slow for a while. I'm at a major plot decision/development stage in my writing and have alot of things to reveiw and go over, so apologies if my next update takes a lil while. Hopefully once im sorted they will get back on track :)

Next chapter - The SOLDIER's return home, but will Lazard buy their story?

Please reveiw if you have a moment, feedback helps me stay motivated :) x


	28. Chapter 27 Not a word

Holaaaa! This isn't as late as I feared it would be (thank goodness!) But oh boy was it a hair puller...transition chapters are so tough to write D:! But the end half of it was...very nice to get down :) I enjoyed writing it in the end. Plus I worked out most of my plot problems, so i think I'm back on track!

My usual thanks to my regulars and new readers, and as usual my biggest thanks to my reviewers ^^ I'd give you all cookies but I think they would get smooshed in the mail D:!

No music this time Gismo, sorry! u_u

**Disclaimer: Sephiroth and all original characters and content are copyright to Square Enix. All i own is Meia and this is a work of fandom, not for profit.**

**Chapter 27**

_Executive floor, Shinra building – 10:04_

Lazard drummed his fingers on the conference table impatiently. The president was late for his own meeting again. He desperately wanted to have this affair wrapped up and finished with in time to welcome his missing SOLDIER's home. They would be arriving soon by helicopter after a three day trip from the western continent. He was eager to find out what happened to them…

"Lazard, you look bored" A silky voice addressed him from the other side of the table. Lazard's lips flickered into a smile,

"I'm simply anxious to get this over with, that's all Scarlet" He replied politely. The woman who addressed him leant back in her chair and crossed her legs, exposing most of them through the ample split in her dress that extended all the way to her upper thigh. Lazard was glad the table hid her below the waist. Palmer wasn't so lucky though. Or was he? Lazard mused. The fidgeting he was doing next to her betrayed the workings of his mind. Lazard smirked to himself.

A short while later, President Shinra strode into the meeting room, apparently unfazed he was almost ten minutes late. He took his position at the head of the table just as another figure joined the room's population. Professor Hojo seated himself next to Lazard and removed his glasses to clean them,

"Good morning Gentlemen, Scarlet, I'm glad you all here on time" Lazard cocked an eyebrow at this statement.

"First things first; Lazard, when will the helicopter carrying Sephiroth arrive?"

Lazard cleared his throat; "Their Eta is approximately eleven hundred hours, Sir" Lazard took in the look of relief that crossed the face of president Shinra when he confirmed this. The man relied on Sephiroth for his own personal security, calling on him like a prized dog whenever his life was threatened. Since Sephiroth had been absent for almost five weeks now, the man had been visibly jumpy. He didn't even acknowledge another member of SOLDIER went missing along with Sephiroth.

* * *

Meia's expression completely sank as the chopper approached the Midgar area of the continent. The sky gradually began to darken and the greenery was quickly fading from the landscape below. She sighed and leant back in her seat, averting her eyes from the perpetual gloom that was starting to surround them. She crossed her legs and ran through the scenario she and Sephiroth had formulated five days ago. It was essential their reports matched, as well as any spoken testimonies. They had used all the time they had to make sure everything was lining up right.

Genesis, who was seated beside Meia, stretched his legs before crossing them at the knees again. He was reading, as usual. But not Loveless which was astonishing. But he _was_ reading 'Loveless – a collective theory'. Meia beheld the heavily annotated and labelled pages and shook her head, noting Angeal giving her a smirk from where he sat opposite,

"You know, I hadn't noticed it before" He began quietly, "But your eyes seem to be really bright, Meia"

Meia blinked at him and scratched her chin, "You sure it's not because it's getting darker now?" She questioned him, attempting to avoid his prying. Only one thing made SOLDIER's eyes glow, everyone in their right mind knew that. She, and Sephiroth, both hoped they wouldn't pry too hard. Angeal frowned and looked out the window he was sitting next too,

"You're probably right. I haven't seen you in a while either" He concluded, though his thoughtful expression hinted he hadn't dismissed the thought from his mind entirely. Meia exhaled slowly and cast a glance at Sephiroth, sitting next to Angeal. He had his eyes closed, a common sight for him. She wondered whether he was dozing, meditating or thinking. Probably all three, knowing what he was like. He was back in his usual attire, plus another black cotton roll neck to provide some warmth. His regular thin coat wasn't enough to ward of winter chills by itself. She smirked, remembering what he said when she questioned him about it. Apparently, although he didn't feel the cold, he would rather be pleasantly warm than put up with the discomfort of a chill. Meia on the other hand, hadn't been quite so lucky. Junon apparently was all out of second class uniforms in extra small. She was currently being swamped by a roll neck far too large for her and a pair of baggy pants held up only by a belt, with a long, dull brown coat for warmth. Angeal and Genesis teased her no end for it. Still, it was better than a pink tracksuit…

* * *

Lazard had rushed to the helipad as soon as the meeting was over and now stood in the freezing winter air, awaiting the arrival of most of his first class SOLDIER's and Meia. He hitched his scarf up around his neck before crossing his arms, his hands underneath them for warmth. The meeting had frustrated him. Conflicts were on the rise with Wutai again and Shinra was being ever pressured to bring an end to the war with the nation. Heidegger had sent his troops in to help deal with the situation, along with a sizable chunk of SOLDIER. But in the last few weeks, Lazard had been reduced to a mere four first classes. He'd asked about them in the meeting, of course he had. But all he was told was they were killed. The blond director found that hard to believe; his SOLDIER's weren't fragile, vulnerable infantrymen. Still, there was no denying that now, the helicopter fast approaching the city held three quarters of his most elite men.

* * *

Meia stretched her legs and arms as the chopper approached the green glow of Midgar. The light was completely gone now, replaced with the gloom of the city and winter. She pulled a face of discontent as they began their approach to the helipad high atop the Shinra building. The air up there would be freezing…

"Wakey wakey, Seph. Were almost home, just in time for dinner!"

"Lies…its lunchtime. And I wasn't asleep, Angeal"

The gruff man laughed, "Just yanking you. Hey, is Lazard waiting for us on the pad? He really must have missed you two…"

All the SOLDIER's peered out the windows on Meia's side, who cast a look at Sephiroth while the others were distracted. He gave her a reassuring nod before stretching his own limbs. Lying to their Director; she didn't want to do it, but for now, there wasn't a lot of choice.

Lazard smiled as the chopper set down, kicking up dirt and sending it into his eyes despite his glasses. He winced and rubbed at them as the four occupants hopped out, clutching coats close to their bodies. The choppers engine slowed and the roar subsided, Lazard made his way forward to welcome them home,

"Meia, Sephiroth! I'm so relieved to find you safe" He said, grasping Meia's hands which made her slightly uncomfortable, "Thank Gaia, well done you two" He continued, turning to Angeal and Genesis. They nodded their acknowledgment before heading inside out of the cold. As they descended the stairs, Lazard informed Genesis and Angeal that their 'suspension' was lifted. Meia and Sephiroth continued to descend after they reached the SOLDIER floor, having been given permission to change into their own clothes.

* * *

Meia stood outside Sephiroth's door and pressed her finger to the pad. A moment later, the door was unlocked and she stepped through, kicking off her simple shoes as it hissed closed again behind her. She was glad to be back in her own clothing; the oversized, slightly musty smelling clothes were beginning to make her queasy. So she had chosen comfortable company branded exercise wear over her uniform. She confidently made her way to the living area, having been allowed in to Sephiroth's apartment more than once by now, she no longer felt intimidated by the surroundings. Especially as the two of them were now closer than they had ever been.

Having taken a seat on the luxurious cream leather couch, she looked up when Sephiroth emerged from his bathroom, in the process of pulling a tight black shirt on. Meia couldn't help but smirk as she caught the tiniest glimpse of his well-toned body before it was covered by soft cotton,

"Are you confident you can do this, Meia?" He asked as he descended the steps to the main apartment area. She looked at him before nodding,

"I believe so" She replied, though not managing to hide her nerves. She still couldn't quite fathom she was about to lie to her director. She turned her head as her host let out a soft grunt at the sight of his open fridge, and she rose to be nosy. As she rested on the breakfast bar separating the living area from the kitchen, he passed her a post-it-note before grabbing two glasses. Meia smiled,

"Hey, at least she cleaned it out for you. There could be living things growing in there by now, thanks" She smiled at him as he passed her a glass of water, "At least you get a cleaning lady…" She added as an afterthought. Sephiroth smirked and watched her gulp at her water; her hesitation was still plain to see,

"Are you sure you're up to this? We can ask to sleep on it. Lazard would understand…"

Meia shook her head slowly, "No, then I'll have all night to worry about it. Let's just get it over with and see what happens"

Sephiroth nodded and finished his water.

* * *

"Trapped underground? For that amount of time? How did you survive?"

Sephiroth crossed his arms and feigned a look of humiliation, "However we could. After the entrance collapsed due to the scuffle with the creature, we had little choice" He lifted his gaze, "And breaking out wasn't an option or we may have been crushed to death…"

"What did you eat…" Lazard couldn't help his turn of stomach show in his voice…

Sephiroth let out a grimace of a laugh, "Although the things living down there were frightful at best, they were edible" He said, adding a look of slight disgust for emphasis. Lazard nodded and turned to Meia, who was doing well so far. Neither of them had slipped up, though Meia knew Sephiroth wouldn't be their problem…

"Meia, how did you find it?" He asked her. She kept her gaze averted as she replied,

"I…don't want to go through something like that again, Sir. The water we had to drink made me sick, the things we consumed made me sick…the darkness, the cramped conditions…I've never experienced anything like it"

Lazard acknowledged her with a sympathetic nod, "Still, your very lucky there was a system of caves or, well…you may still be down there" Both SOLDIER's nodded to this statement. Their director turned his gaze to the screen on his desk and he called up a statement made by the doctor who had treated them both. Neither friend dared look at each other, in case a worried glance gave them away,

"The doctor here reports finding you both collapsed on a mountain path not too far from the town, and that you had lifestream exposure"

Sephiroth looked up, breathing an internal sigh of relief. The doctor had helped them after all… "Something like that. We must have used everything we had to escape the caves" he began, spinning the next part of their deception, "and I had to wade both of us through a lifestream river…Meia wouldn't have survived direct exposure for as long as me. Still, she couldn't avoid coming into contact with it entirely"

Lazard nodded, seemingly for now, content with his SOLDIER's report. He continued scanning the medical report,

"And both of you are fine now?" They both acknowledged him, "Good. Then I'll tell Hojo there is no need for an examination"

In the same instant, Meia's blood both ran cold with fear and then warm again with elation. Being examined by that man was frankly the last thing she wanted. Lazard didn't say anything else, so she cleared her throat,

"Sir? What happened to Clydia in the end?" She asked carefully. Lazard sighed and pushed his glasses up his nose,

"After receiving Sephiroth's preliminary report yesterday morning, the decision has been made to…eradicate any evidence of what the terrorist were doing there"

Meia swallowed. Eradicate…that meant an airstrike. Her blood ran cold again as she remembered the children and she struggled to contain the sudden panic. Sephiroth shot her a stern look and she let out a shuddering sigh, barely managing to contain herself,

"Are you ok, Meia?" Lazard asked. She swallowed and gave a shaky smile,

"Yes Sir, sorry. Just a little queasy…lack of food I think"

"Well you can head off, go get something. Sephiroth, I'd like you to stay please"

Meia hesitated slightly, before saluting and striding out the office. She prayed she'd done enough.

As she stepped onto the SOLDIER floor, she was straight away assaulted by an eager Zack, who pulled her into a bone crushing hug,

"Ugh, Zack…no so tight please" She managed to croak out. The tall teen laughed nervously as he released her, scratching the back of his head,

"Hey, sorry, but I've missed you, y'know? The last thing I heard was you were away on a mission and then bam…nothing for five weeks."

Meia smiled and crossed her arms, "Sorry about that, but the sightseeing tour was something else, _y'know_?" She said mockingly. Zack took a moment to click, before laughing heartily.

"I'm going to get some food after I've updated my details, I'm starving. Feel free to tag along" Meia stated, moving past him to the briefing room. Zack nodded and followed behind, proceeding to tell her literally everything that had happened while she was away. While Zack carried on, Meia couldn't help but be distracted. They were going to airstrike Clydia. And unless Meia and Sephiroth admitted they were lying, they couldn't do a thing about it. She felt sick; the children. She hoped desperately that they would be okay, but she knew there was a possibility the strike could collapse the mine. The cavern they lived in was natural, but still…would it be able to stand up to the shockwaves a strike would cause? Meia had a feeling the guilt she felt wouldn't leave her so easily…

* * *

Sephiroth stared at the bookshelf opposite him; letting the look of indignity he felt show on his face. Lazard knew his last piece of news wouldn't impress the man…

"What was your reply?" Sephiroth asked sharply, a little too sharp now he thought about it. But he was wound up…

"I simply wrote 'professional only' and left it at that. I haven't heard anything else, but apparently Genesis, Angeal and Zack Fair were asked the same questions"

"What did they say?"

"The same. Still, it wouldn't pay to get too…" Lazard began but was cut short by Sephiroth's sudden movement,

"My relationship with Miss LeSait _is _professional only. Nothing more, I don't care for feelings of intimacy" He said sternly, standing up to his full, intimidating height, "We are merely colleagues, just the same as Angeal or Genesis" He concluded, hoping his deception was good enough…

Lazard observed him a moment before replying, "Very well, remember I'm on your side here…" Sephiroth's eyes flicked to Lazard and he beheld him down his nose, "In the future though, a reaction like that may raise more questions than your usual cold glare…that's all I'm saying"

Sephiroth, although trying his best not to show it, was taken aback. Lazard was right; he'd reacted out of sheer defence and displayed behaviour that was quite unlike him. A dead giveaway…he sighed,

"You're right. My apologies, Director" He said, the tension gone from his voice.

"Nothing to worry about. The only other thing I need to inform you is we are now down to four First Class members"

Sephiroth frowned and tilted his head, "Only four? We lost two while we were missing?"

Lazard nodded solemnly, "Yes. It's hard to believe, but apparently they were killed in action…"

"But you suspect otherwise?"

"Yes. We aren't talking simple army personnel here…the men who went missing are enhanced SOLDIER members. I even inspected the field myself but found no traces of their bodies…"

Sephiroth folded his arms and cast his eyes down. Was someone targeting SOLDIER members? Or was Shinra involved somehow and keeping Lazard in the dark…

"Please be wary in the field, Sephiroth. A few seconds and thirds went missing as well. You may want to pass this on to your colleagues"

Sephiroth nodded and dismissed himself. He had some thinking to do.

* * *

Later that day, Sephiroth informed Meia that the science department were prying into their private life. She sighed in frustration and rubbed her eyes,

"Isn't it enough that they treat us like their school projects as it is?" She stated exasperation playing heavily on her voice. Sephiroth stared up at the smoggy sky and crossed his legs,

"I know Meia, but we have to be careful. Hojo is a twisted man…if…well, if anything were to emerge from a relationship that I was…" His words failed him and his gaze dropped, staring straight ahead. He knew what he wanted to say, so why couldn't he say it? He knew he was speaking hypothetically but…

Meia took a swallow of coffee and looked at him, "What you mean is; If Hojo knew there was a possibility of you procreating he would be interested in the offspring" she stated simply. Sephiroth couldn't help but wince; she could still see right through him, though he appreciated her textbook style answer. He didn't know why he bothered hesitating in the first place,

"Exactly" He looked at her, well aware of his warm cheeks. She smiled faintly and shook her head,

"It's sickening to think of. Would he really be that twisted? To take a new born and…and…well, treat it as an experiment?"

Sephiroth observed her a moment, "So far, he hasn't done anything like that but" He paused, a look of mild disgust appearing on his face, "…well, I'll just say it wouldn't surprise me if he did"

Meia nodded and swallowed some more coffee. The two of them had taken the rest of the day off, Lazard not minding in the least. It seemed their department head was still overly pleased to have them back. Meia had headed straight for the train station, stating that if she didn't get a decent cup of coffee soon she would collapse into a vegative state. Sephiroth couldn't help but tease that she already had after she got lost for the third time. But eventually, after Sephiroth was persuaded to put Meia out of her misery, they made it to Calcifur's den and settled into the homely outdoor seating area, away from the main stream of public. And potentially prying eyes. Business wouldn't pick up until late evening now so they had ample time to themselves.

Gradually the already dismal light in Midgar began to drop and the chills were beginning to set in. When Meia came back with their second round of drinks, she couldn't help but sit closer to her companion. Sephiroth smiled, he didn't mind in the least. He was glad they were home in one piece, even if home was Midgar. He held his cup of green tea close and casually observed Meia kick her shoes off and curl up on the sofa beside him. His mind wandered back to the last moments before he lost consciousness in the lifestream. How he had regretted losing Meia so soon. But now, his desperate bravado had left him. And he kicked himself for it, why couldn't he let her know how he felt? But he mused to himself, were words necessary…why worry? Why did he need her verbal acknowledgment? But he needed to know…he was confusing himself again…

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He thought about how she was with him, how she showed him affection. He reminded himself that the affection she'd given him in the short time they had known each other was infinitely more than the accumulation of his life. Logically, he was certain she cared for him in the same way. But emotionally…that was the problem. His emotions. They had tripped him up earlier with Lazard and now they were screwing with him again. He could feel a headache coming on…

"Hey, Sephiroth…are you in or shall I leave a message?"

Sephiroth felt a small pressure on his thigh followed by a tiny squeeze. He opened his eyes and blinked several times, finding yet again he had drifted off. If Meia had been trying to talk to him, he hadn't a clue what she said…

"You're not worrying over the whole 'procreation' conversation, are you?" Meia continued quietly. He looked at her; by now he was almost certain she was psychic…

"It's not the conversation, just…what the conversation _implied_…" He replied slowly. Meia's face softened and she smiled, shifting her position on the sofa so she was comfortably facing him,

"Whatever it may have implied, it doesn't matter. Whatever is going to happen between us… will happen…and" She looked down at her coffee cup, a serene smile widening her mouth, "And I'm perfectly ok with it. As long as you are…" She finished quietly. He stared, was that a confession? It was slightly cryptic but his logical mind kicked his emotional one yet again; _of course it was, idiot_. He cast his eyes about quickly; they were still relatively alone. Anyone who was within sight was too busy to care about them…and he decided to act on the always baffling surge of instinct that had once again swelled within him,

At first, Meia didn't know what was going on. Akin to those few seconds when something totally new was happening to you and your brain tried and failed to make sense of it, before finally clicking. Hers clicked sometime after her chin was lifted gently by pale fingers to meet the gaze of a beautiful set of green eyes. She opened her mouth to instinctively ask what he was doing, but it was a mere reaction. She knew full well what he was going to do, a well-deserved '_shhh' _from Sephiroth stopping the question before it formed on her lips. And in the next instant, he pressed his surprisingly warm lips to hers gently. Meia's heart skipped several beats in a row, before allowing her to relax again. It was just a small kiss, but Meia could almost feel the sudden rise in temperature between their close faces as Sephiroth's cheeks flushed as deep crimson as his porcelain skin would allow. But Meia didn't want him to feel rejected in any way; what he did took a lot of courage, especially for him. And she realised her sudden shock may come across wrong. Before he could withdraw completely, she leant forward and repaid him in kind, giving him a reassuring gift in return.

Sephiroth was just about to accept what he'd done was wrong before Meia was kissing him again, stopping him from backing away. They shouldn't be doing this, they were in public. He'd just warned her about this, the way they were behaving... But this time, his logical mind was being kidney punched repeatedly by his emotional side and he couldn't for the life of him stop what was happening. It felt wonderful, her lips were so soft; she smelt amazing. Her clothes, her hair, the fresh fragrance that she used sparingly, mixed with the distinctive smell of ground coffee all accumulated and drifted up his nose, marking the sent into his brain as Her. He felt Meia's gentle touch reach up and stroke the silver hair resting against his cheek, before settling there, leaving only her thumb to carry on the gesture.

They were by now shamelessly lost in each other, sinking low into the soft leather of the sofa together and carrying on as if they had done this a hundred times before. Gently and carefully, their lips danced and caressed each other; Meia couldn't believe how silky the skin on his pale rose lips was. He was a powerful, battle hardened SOLDIER, yet his skin was velvety smooth. She was further convinced he was on another level to normal people, like a dream.

Unfortunately for them, in the midst of their new found feelings and passions, they had lost track of time. As well as forgetting about a certain invitation they'd sent earlier in the day. Now these two misfortunes had converged to form an embarrassing situation…that had come to a sudden halt after rounding the corner to the courtyard,

"Oh my…did you _ever _think we would catch Him doing _that?_" Genesis hissed to Angeal, emphasizing his shock with an elbow to his friend's ribs. Angeal simply stared at Sephiroth and Meia, his jaw ever so slightly slack. Clearly, although mostly hidden by the back of the sofa they were sitting on; the two of them were engaged in a loving kiss,

"Remember your tact, Genesis…" Angeal said eventually, taking in a deep breath. The two friends approached slowly; both were astonished Sephiroth hadn't heard them. Then again, they concluded, he was probably experiencing some kind of emotional melt down right now. Angeal cleared his throat, the noise having an immediate effect,

"Let me guess…you both had cold lips and could see no other options" He smirked. The couple broke away like two magnets repelling, each party's cheeks were deeply flushed and they observed one another, before going through the usual motions of a couple caught out doing something scandalous. Meia rose shakily and mumbled something about needing the toilet, before rushing into the coffee shop, still sans shoes. Sephiroth stared after her for a moment, before turning his head to observe his two friends,

"Not…a…word…" He growled softly, "To anyone, understand?" He stated slowly, emphasising each word carefully. Angeal and Genesis smiled and nodded before taking up seats for themselves in the rest of the worn furniture around them. The pale man brought a shaky hand to his head, his heart was only just returning to its normal rhythm and his whole body felt very strange. He concluded that for now, that couldn't happen again in public. He was beginning to feel like he did in the training room back when he was teaching Meia to dance; not entirely in control. But a little voice kept telling him…he enjoyed the feeling. It thrilled him…and not in the same way battle and fighting did. Instinctively he glanced inside the coffee shop, looking for Meia but she hadn't emerged from the bathroom yet. He excused himself and went inside to wait for her. She appeared a few minutes later, looking very sheepish as she spotted him leaning against a decorative wooden pillar. He smiled warmly and prayed she hadn't been scared off,

"Are you okay, Meia?" He asked her quietly. It would appear his usual calmly confident, commanding manor was back in place, though he had a hunch she would appreciate him that way for now. She nodded quickly, running a trembling hand through her hair,

"We…we shouldn't have…kissing I mean, we shouldn't…" She stammered, worry and mild panic showing through her usually confident voice. Sephiroth approached her and placed his hands on her upper arms, rubbing them gently. He bent his head so he could talk to her quietly,

"I don't regret what I did. You're right, we shouldn't have been careless…but what I feel for you, Meia, is so strong I needed to let you know somehow" He lifted his head slightly as she looked up at him, "Thank you, for everything you do for me"

Meia smiled up through the curtains of silver hair and let out a small laugh, "You don't need to say that, but you're welcome none the less" She hesitated, a hint of a worried frown appearing on her face, "Our relationship…will it change now?"

"Do you want it too?"

She shook her head, "No…I think for the time being, it's perfect. We both know how we feel about each other…"

"Then consider that kiss an early festival present. Nothing has to change if you don't want it too. Just know this…" He squeezed her arms ever so gently and bent to whisper in her ear…

_My heart belongs to you…_

_..._

_.  
_

_

* * *

_Haha, I can just imagine Sephiroths logical side duking it out with his emotional side XD The emotional side clearly won with his choice in footwear...

Next chapter - Meia is sent on a mission led by the only other First class SOLDIER left, Callo, but an inconvenient influence leads the party of SOLDIER's into danger...Is Meia confident enough to lead the remaining group to safety?

Please reveiw if you have a spare few minutes, I really appreciate it :)


	29. Chapter 28 The Island

Hey guys, I hope you are all well ^^ And ready for the next installment, which I had fun with :)

Thank you to everyone who has read this fic and supported me so far, I don't think I could keep going without you ^^

**Disclaimer: I do not own any original final fantasy VII characters, places or story lines. They are property of Square Enix and this is a work of fandom, not for profit. all I own is Meia and my own OC's.**

* * *

**Chapter 28**

It was now November, the calendar having eased into the first week several days ago. This winter was shaping up to be the harshest yet; severe weather warnings had been issued for Midgar, warning her citizens to be wary of ice and high winds on the highways. Down in the slums, however, things were slightly more favorable. Who would have though the giant metal plates above them actually eased the living conditions? Albeit only very slightly…

Meia picked her way carefully through a pile of rubbish and rubble, trying to ignore the looks of contempt being thrown her way by the less fortunate inhabitants of the city. She sighed, it couldn't be helped. They probably suspected her of stealing some of their rightfully owned rubbish, although what she'd possibly do with it was beyond her…

"Sir! I think I found something…oof" A small crash of metal punctuated her companions sentence and she hopped across a minuscule crevasse of junk to get to him. She rolled her eyes and helped the green third class up by his elbow,

"Try and be more careful, Renji. I don't want to have to admit you to the hospital when we get back"

Renji adjusted his helmet and nodded, "Sorry Sir, I'll watch my footing"

"Good idea. Now, what did you find?"

Her tall companion looked around a bit before locating his area of interest with a triumphant 'ah ha!' and crouched down to lift a few scraps of metal off the heap they were on. Meia crouched as well and smiled. Finally, they had found what Lazard had sent them down here for three days ago. Carefully they cleared their quarry free of the scrap pile it was embedded in. Renji stopped to catch his breath and stretch his back a little,

"Why are we doing this, sir? Isn't this a job for infantry or the weapons dept.?"

Meia sighed and continued clearing, "Logically, yes. But recently…we'll just say Shinra hasn't been too kind to the people of the slums…"

"What did they do?"

"Who knows? But were down here for two reasons; One, we are strong enough to clear this thing out of here without any specialist gear…"

"…which might get stolen…"

"Yes, that and we can take care of ourselves in case…well, in case anyone tries to kick us out" Meia concluded with a grunt, in the process of lifting a particularly large plate of metal off of what was now in plain sight; one of the weapon departments toys. Stolen while the guard assigned to it was being careless, no doubt. She stood up and wiped the grime and grease off her hands unceremoniously on her pants.

"We don't have to lift it back…do we?" Renji asked nervously. Meia chuckled and fished her phone out her pocket…

* * *

_Shin-ra building, 51__st__ floor – Director Lazards office_

"Lazard…Ah, good afternoon Meia, one moment;…that's better, you have good news I hope…?"

_Yes Sir. We have finally located the stolen weapon…_

"Thank goodness. Is it in one piece?"

_We believe so, we'll know more once we dig it out properly, shouldn't take us long_

"Very good. I'll send the weapons department down there to pick it up"

_Best sent an escort Sir, with at least one SOLDIER. Things are getting twitchy down here…_

"Noted. Hang tight and good job"

_Thank you Sir *click*_

Lazard leaned forward and pushed the 'speaker' button on his phone to hang up, before lacing his fingers together and facing his monitor once more,

"I thought you might appreciate hearing her voice again" He said with a small grin. The silver framed face on the monitor pursed his lips in an effort to contain his own smile, before clearing his throat,

"As I was saying…things are going smoothly here, Sir. Minimal Shinra casualties and no fatalities so far. The enemy haven't been so lucky…" Sephiroth reported, no hint of remorse on his face at his last statement. Lazard nodded,

"And the uprising?"

"Quelled, Sir. We are in the process of clearing up" He paused, "Though…"

"Hmmm?"

"The way the Wutai behaved…masses upon masses throwing themselves at us…almost as if they were merely doing it to keep us busy"

"What do you think?"

"I think there might be something else happening elsewhere that we're not meant to know about…"

"And this small scuffle is meant to keep SOLDIER…_you_…out of the way…" Lazard pressed his mouth to his fingers, deep in thought.

"Exactly, Sir"

Neither man spoke for a while, Lazard deep in thought, Sephiroth riffling through reports just out of view of the camera. Eventually Lazard sat up and straightened his suit out,

"Well, tie up everything there and hurry home"

"Yes Sir" Sephiroth responded sharply and cut the connection. Lazard sighed and went back to his musings.

* * *

Sephiroth, now free from prying eyes, carried on sorting his reports with a gentle smile clearly on his lips. Hearing Meia's voice was just what he needed right now, being assigned anywhere without her was beginning to get tough. He began noticing more and more the absence of the calm she brought him. He realised this was how he used to feel all the time. Restless, disturbed, his mind thinking about hundreds of things at once in an effort to block everything else out. Her absence was starting to leave gaping holes in his existence and he wondered what it would have been like if she hadn't come to him. If they'd never met…

He held a hand to his head and let out a long sigh; he'd been fighting all day and by all rights, even though he was far stronger than normal SOLDIER's, he should be exhausted. But he wasn't, not physically anyway. Ever since they had returned home a month ago, Sephiroth found activities that usually would fatigue him no longer had the same impact. He could do things, see things, and hear things…much better than before. He didn't feel it was possible, but somehow he'd become stronger.

Sephiroth piled his now sorted reports neatly, ready to be packed away. As he sat down on a pile of metal supply crates, he retrieved his phone from his pocket and began poking away at it with his thumb. He wasn't calling Meia; they had decided never to contact each other via phone unless it was for official business, as all calls could be traced. He would not be surprised if the science department resorted to sorting through billing history in their searches. Finally he found what he was looking for and he allowed himself a moment to relax, leaning back against the crates and exhaling slowly. _Only a few more days…and I can get some sleep…_He thought to himself, smiling down at the picture taken in front of the waterfall five months ago…

* * *

Back in Midgar the following morning, Meia was called to a meeting by Lazard. She yawned as the lift pinged to a halt at the 49th floor and the doors slid open. She and Renji had been in the slums for the best part of the night trying to retrieve the weapon they had found. By the time the heavies arrived to cart it away, they were dealing with a minor riot. No one was hurt, thankfully, but things were quite tense…

"Sir! Good morning"

She blinked several times before her fogged mind comprehended who had greeted her, as well as trying to recall the short journey from the lifts to the meeting room. She sat down and raked a hand through her ever rebellious locks,

"Morning, Renji. You been called too?" She managed to get out through a yawn,

"Yes Sir, two in a row. I must be doing something right" The third chirped cheerfully. Good for him, Meia thought. A few minutes went by before they were joined by Zack, happily bounding in through the glass door and seating himself next to her,

"Morning, Mei!"

"Morning…" Why was everyone so energetic at this Gaia forsaken hour?

Zack hunched forward and engaged Renji in conversation, which Meia listened too. Maybe it would wake her up. After another several minutes listening to typical male banter, they all stood to attention as Lazard arrived, flanked by the large frame of Callo, currently the only First class on base in Midgar. Lazard smiled and motioned for them all to be seated before he addressed them,

"Good morning Gentlemen, Meia, I have a small mission for all of you" He announced, calling up a map as well as a few reports and schematics on the large screen at the end of the conference table. They all turned to observe as Lazard continued,

"This is a standard mission, so we're not anticipating any problems" He enlarged several pictures of what appeared to be a small island surrounded by the sea before carrying on, "This is an uncharted island found by a survey not too long ago. Our scientists and engineers are interested in it due to reports of high lifestream concentration in the area. Judging by the amount of vegetation, the island itself is the likely hotspot" He finished, pushing his glasses up his nose.

"So what's our job, Sir?" Zack piped up. He just couldn't help himself…Lazard contained a smirk before cycling through a few more photo's,

"Your job is to check the area for any potentially harmful wildlife and exterminate them before the scientists and engineers go there to start work, if it's a viable site"

Meia let out a sigh. Same old Shinra…

"Now, there is a slight problem in that the island itself is a natural fortress. High cliffs and rocky reefs on all sides prevent access by ship and the winter weather won't allow us to fly in. The only access is via submarine, through an underwater crack in the cliff face…here" He pointed to a photo with a laser pen, "Callo will be leading you, you will be flown to Junon while the weather here is still borderline acceptable where you will be taken to the site via sub. Everything you need to know is in your mission briefs and as usual, give nothing but your best, questions?"

Callo cleared his throat, "Sir, with all due respect I'm perfectly well now. Why not send another second to lead so I can join my colleagues in Wutai?"

Lazard fixed the grizzly man with his blue eyes, "I appreciate your concerns, Callo, but you have been out of action for a while. This is a perfect mission to ease you back into the fray, as it were…and might I remind you, the occupants of this room are also your colleagues" He finished, still watching Callo with his steady gaze. The big man eventually sighed and stood, asking them all to be ready to go as soon as possible, before leaving. Meia frowned and found herself wondering why he had been out of action for a while. Why was she getting a bad feeling all of a sudden…? Perhaps she was simply hungry and she left the briefing room, heading for the food court.

* * *

The flight to Junon wasn't dull, to say the least. Lazard hadn't been joking when he said the weather was borderline acceptable. Zack didn't mind the turbulence at all; in fact he was quite enjoying himself. Meia had suffered, and actually piloted, through worse so she just found it slightly irksome as she attempted to read her mission brief again. Renji on the other hand was looking positively green around the gills and Callo hadn't said a word since he left the briefing room in the morning.

Meia had finished her reading and stowed her personal pad away in her bag, before stretching her cramped limbs. She risked a glance at their commander, who was firmly staring out of the choppers window. She got the impression he really didn't want to be leading them on this mission, which would let morale down badly. Maybe that's why Zack was assigned to this one as well, to balance it out. But something else was nagging her, Callo wasn't just being distant, he was downright anti-social. Even Sephiroth wasn't this quiet when he led missions. On good days he was even quite chatty, for him anyway. Most SOLDIER's had to admit that even though Sephiroth wasn't exactly the commanding officer you'd ask out for a drink later on, you certainly learned a lot on missions with him. But Callo was doing his best to pretend he wasn't leading anyone and he was alone on this one. She hoped he wouldn't affect the mood too much…

* * *

"Oh no…you have got to be joking me" Meia muttered under her breath as she and her fellow SOLDIER's approached the Shinra sub in the underwater dock at Junon, having headed straight there from the helipad. The two men standing waiting for them were the last people she wanted to see…

"Hey there big guy, this all that's comin'?" A horridly familiar, drawling voice piped up suddenly. Meia cringed and stepped into line behind Zack, finding herself wishing for the first time in a long time that she still used a helmet…

"Yes, Reno…"

"Ooooooh, I see, I see. Well! Me an' my buddy Rude here will be your tour guides, so you better all behave, y'know?"

"They are my responsibility, Reno, don't push your luck"

The skinny red head held his hands up in defence to Callo as he marched past him to the docked sub. The rest of the SOLDIER's began to follow after until, unable to hide anymore, Meia was spotted…

"Oh ho hoo! What have we here?" Reno leered, bending down and leaning towards her. She sighed and looked up at him with a roll of her eyes,

"Hello Reno…how lovely to see you" She said flatly. He scoffed in her face and stood to his full height again,

"Hey! You better watch it now, Y'know?…we're your superiors this time, right Rude?"

"Hmm" The dark skinned man said sharply. Meia cocked an eyebrow,

"You made it to full agent? They must be desperate…"

"Hey! Mind your pretty tongue, lady, or we'll do you for insubordination!"

"My apologies, _sir…_" Meia stated sharply before heading into the sub after her companions. This would be a long trip…

**

* * *

**

The island itself was quite a way west from Junon, almost right in the middle of the body of water that separated the two continents. As well as the flying conditions being treacherous, apparently some kind of natural phenomena prevented instruments from working properly as well. It would be several more hours before the sub was due to arrive at their destination. The bulky metal casing of the sub was also far too large to enter the underwater cavern, so they would be swimming in. Meia leant on the railings overlooking the metal beast's engines, casually chatting with Zack and Renji. Callo was nowhere to be found.

Apparently, so Zack had heard, the big man experienced some kind of breakdown on a mission while she and Sephiroth were absent for five weeks. Meia frowned and scuffed the deck with her boot. Mental instability wasn't good for SOLDIER's. In fact, she was surprised Lazard had let him lead the mission. Still, it was clear from the man's words in the briefing room that he would rather be in Wutai fighting alongside the other First classes. Maybe Lazard knew what he was doing by sending him here. But Meia couldn't help but feel uneasy, and what was more it was usually the un-ease she felt sometimes when she was with Sephiroth…

"So, what do you think, Sir?" The sentence flitted in on the edges of her attention and she blinked. Apparently, Zack was trying to speak to her…

"Sorry, what? And call me Meia you two, please…" She said, straightening and turning around to face them. Zack scratched his head,

"Do you think this mission will be easy or what?" He repeated. Meia leant against the railing and sighed through her nose,

"Relatively, yes. But that's no reason to treat it as a walk in the park, either. Plus we have the whole island to comb…"

"The whole island?" Renji piped up suddenly, "But we're going in via the ocean…we don't have any supplies with us"

Meia smiled and fixed him with her frosty eyes, "Did you read the mission report, Renji?"

The young rookie started mumbling something about skimming over it while they were in the chopper from Midgar. Zack laughed and shook him by the shoulder. Meia carried on,

"When the island was discovered late summer, a few supply crates were airdropped on the northeast area. But, due to several delays and worsening weather, plus the reports of potentially hostile locals, the teams of engineers and scientists never made it on the island to make use of said supplies. We, however, will be"

A look of dawning came over Renji's face and he promised he would take greater care next time he had a report to read.

Just over an hour later, Callo ordered the trio to suit up and prepare for insertion. Meia was actually astonished to find a second class suit waiting for her that was actually made to fit a woman and was currently squeezing into it. The suits themselves were designed to be used out of water also, so there would be no need to carry a change of uniform. As the water was fairly shallow, plus the estimated swim time being quite small, full tanks were deemed unnecessary. They were to wear masks with small oxygen canisters attached to them instead. The only other gear they were carrying with them was their weapons and glow sticks, secured by various harnesses and straps. Meia of course didn't neglect her tanto. Callo went over the mission brief once more with them before they fitted their oxygen masks and headed out.

As they swam the short distance to the islands submerged edge, Meia made sure she made the most of the experience. She loved to swim and it had been a while since she got to go diving, the last favourable time being Sephiroth's birthday. She ignored the planet diving experience…She glanced down as she swam, and saw tiny cracks in the sea bed through which glowing lifestream could be seen. It was a beautiful sight; fish swam in and out of the wispy, smoke like traces of the glowing ichor as they mingled with the water and she smiled. It was too bad this was only a short dive. She glanced behind her but the sub had already turned tail to leave, its ghostly silhouette now barely discernable through the water. Typical Reno and Rude; they were probably dreaming about being passed out in a bar somewhere by now.

Eventually they left the open sea behind and began their encroachment into the cave. Meia couldn't help but notice in the gloom that shapes below her didn't seem quite right. Renji, who was in front of her, rounded and communicated that he'd seen something below them. She frowned as she looked; there were soft shapes in the gloom, when by all rights all they should be seeing was jagged rocks. She fished a glow tube from the straps about her thigh and cracked it, activating the luminescent chemicals inside. This caught the attention of the other two members and they stopped to swim back. Renji did the same and they both dropped their tubes, letting them float to the floor beneath them. What they illuminated caused Renji to gag on his air…

Body bags…poorly sealed body bags.

No one made a move, save for more tubes being cracked and thrown in various locations. The story was the same with the immediate area and eventually, Meia swam down to inspect them. The bodies were human, just about. Scavenging sea creatures flitted away as Meia inspected the bags, rotting flesh floating all around her. Although no where nearly as mutated, the scene reminded her of the reactor at Clydia and the grizzly contents contained within. She swam back to the group and indicated they should carry on and surface, doing just that not more than ten minutes later.

They pulled themselves out of the water onto the banks of the cave, illuminated faintly by daylight coming from a sloping path some way off. Renji pulled off his oxygen mask; he was clearly shaken by what he saw. Zack looked a little morose as he removed his, glancing at Meia with a grim expression as she removed her flippers,

"Sir…why is there bodies down there?" Renji asked Callo, his voice was trembling. The large SOLDIER stood up, not even bothering to look at the young man before replying,

"I know as much as you, SOLDIER, come on. We should be careful…"

Meia pursed her lips; charismatic this man wasn't. Though, as she cast her mind back to the gala…wasn't he much chirpier then? She was beginning to worry about her feelings of unease. The three SOLDIER's followed their commander out of the cave, being led by the daylight until they surfaced. The island was heavily forested and mercifully slightly warmer than the weather in Junon or Midgar. But there was another problem; the group couldn't help but notice the path they were walking had appeared to be cut by human hands…

"Sir, isn't this a bit strange? By all rights we should be the first people here but…well" Renji timidly volunteered. Callo ignored him. Meia frowned deeply; Renji was right, the bodies the path. There were signs everywhere that they indeed weren't the first people on the island. She placed a hand on her companions shoulder and gave him a reassuring nod. Something was wrong with their commander. And something was wrong with this island…

Meia checked her watch; it was mid-afternoon now and so far, the group had found nothing else that was suspicious. They were currently resting at Callo's order while he looked for higher ground. Zack and Renji approached Meia,

"Something is going on, isn't it?" Zack spoke to her in a hushed voice. She looked at him and then to Renji who was still looking unsettled,

"Yes, defiantly. The fact our commander isn't listening to us doesn't make matters any better" She whispered. A moment later, Callo came back and grunted for them to follow, but Meia by now was unsettled herself,

"Sir, do you really think that's a good idea? What we have seen so far suggests this isn't as routine as we first hoped, shouldn't we-"

"I don't remember asking your opinion, LeSait. Now, come with me" Callo snapped at her. Meia mumbled a low 'yes sir' before following behind, her other companions exchanging worried looks.

Their commander walked them until dusk without breaking or stopping to explain himself. When he finally did stop, Renji was exhausted, Zack was tiring and Meia was even more worried than she started. The anticipation and un-ease were growing inside her and unsettling her stomach and glanced nervously at Callo. He appeared to have a bad headache or something similar; he kept rubbing his head and glancing around anxiously, not unlike a man suffering from the onset of a panic attack. She approached him and decided to try again…

"Sir, with all due respect…you don't appear well…"She began quietly, so the other two couldn't hear, "And we should report back and standby for further orders. This isn't a standard sweep and clean anymore…" She finished, looking into his eyes, even though he was doing his best to avoid her gaze,

"You would like that, wouldn't you?"

"Excuse me sir?"

"You would like to make me look a fool, wouldn't you? I'm not your pet Sephiroth; I won't be swayed by you or anyone. We stay here and carry out our mission"

"I…I don't think that comment was appropriate, Sir, please…I'm worried about your health…" She stopped sharply as the big man stepped right up to her, standing toe to toe,

"My _health… _is perfectly fine LeSait, so I suggest you silence that wretched tongue of yours and follow my orders, understand?"

"Perfectly, Sir" Meia whispered, now slightly afraid of the man standing before her. He stepped away again and grunted a command at the group to follow him once more. While they marched behind, Meia tried to shake off the shock and unease, but it was no use. Something was defiantly wrong. With Callo that close, she could sense it, though…what she knew she was feeling didn't make any sense…But before Meia could settle down, they stopped suddenly at a silent hand signal issued by their leader. Quickly they dropped to their knees and carried on slowly. As they approached the edge of a cliff, previously unseen due to the foliage, they couldn't believe their eyes…

Below them a complex occupied a large hole gouged out of the island, not unlike a stone quarry. Soldier's and vehicles patrolled with dogs and rifles. It was clearly an enemy camp…But despite the presence of guards and soldiers, the base didn't appear to be that of a military one. They observed a large cavern that had been dug out of a cliff at the north end of the quarry and people dressed in bio suits and white coats could be seen flitting in and out of it…

"It looks like a scientific complex, Sir" Zack whispered, his statement actually directed at Meia but Callo hissed him quiet and in the next instance, began to act quite strange. Meia and her two companions backed off slightly as he began to talk to himself, appearing to have some kind of argument though none of them could quite make out what he was talking about. And what was worse, Meia sighted an enemy patrol as it appeared to set out on a path that would take them right to the group of SOLDIER's crouched on the cliff…

"Sir? Are you…?" Zack asked timidly, to which Callo only responded with several slaps to his own head…

"What's wrong with him, Meia?" Renji asked, clearly alarmed. She didn't blame him; the sight of your rather heavy set commander appearing to slowly be losing his marbles in front of them was indeed a disturbing sight. Meia looked down the path, the patrol would be on their position soon and she attempted to get through to Callo again…

"Shut up, woman…don't you see what's happening here…?" He answered her. Except, the voice wasn't quite his…it had taken on a metallic edge…

Meia's eyes widened in panic as she realised the cause of her increasing unease and she watched as Callo stood to his full height, leering down at her. Meia simply stared while the other two hissed at him to crouch again, but it was too late; a cry of alarm had gone up in the camp, punctuated with the distinctive cry of 'SOLDIER!'

"Meia, what do we do?" Zack said quickly, peering between two rocks. Enemy patrols were being sent up the cliff side, dogs and all, and some of the Wutai soldiers were carrying strange weapons that looked like small rifles, but not designed to fire any round she had ever seen…

"Meia?" Renji grabbed her by the arm and shook her, causing her to come round from her momentary seizure,

"Run, get away from here, head east across the island. Go, now!"

"But the commander…"

"I'll deal with him, just go!" She commanded, rounding on the young third with a stern glare. The two men hesitated before obeying her, tearing through foliage and trees and vanishing from sight.

Meia stood up and squared off against Callo, who had taken on a terrifying stance; he appeared bigger and every muscle was tensed as he beheld her with maddened eyes…

"_Don't you remember me telling you I can control anyone with my influence inside them, Meia?"_

"It can't be…"

"_Oh but it is. I have decided…" _The figure in front of her began to pace back and forth, "_That if I can't control you, I may as well kill you. How fortunate this pathetic human isn't entirely stable in the head department…"_

Meia drew her sword just in time to parry Jenova's first attack, but she had the full force of Callo's massive strength on her side and Meia was at a disadvantage. If she had time, she would simply avoid the advances and chip away at her target. But she didn't, the shouts of the patrols were getting louder and she faced a choice; try and overpower Jenova quickly, or run. If she ran…she would be vulnerable to a back attack by the deranged alien. But neither was she confident she could take the massive form of Callo down before the patrols were on her.

She did what she could but it was no use, she didn't have enough strength. For some reason, Callo's body had been given a massive boost and he was far more resilient to the attacks she managed to connect. She squeezed her jaws together in frustration; although she appeared to be vastly faster and able to react quicker since the lifestream incident, her strength hadn't improved and it wasn't enough to overpower Callo's body in time. As she deftly avoided another attack, the enemy burst through the bushes behind the Jenova controlled Callo and were initially stunned to find two comrades fighting each other. They soon recovered though and brought up not their usual weapons, but the strange one's she'd seen from the cliff. In the next instance, they made sense; One well-placed shot was fired into Callo's neck, penetrating the large vein that ran close to the surface. The big man slowed but before he even had time to react, he'd fallen to the ground. Meia's eyes widened as she beheld what looked like a tranquilizer dart sticking out of his neck, only it looked like it had enough dosage to take down a very large animal. Then the guns were aimed at her and she barely avoided a well-aimed shot at her own neck. Not daring too look back, she tore off in the same direction as Zack and Renji had, praying they hadn't been split up or found.

Outrunning the patrol was easy. Far too easy, Meia wasn't even panting as she maintained a steady fast pace to get away from the cliff top. Her adrenaline was pumping through her veins as she pushed on, hoping to find Renji and Zack somewhere, praying she wouldn't suffer a fit of mako fatigue… She followed the crumpled vegetation, the broken plants until finally she could hear them running ahead of her. It wasn't long before she caught up and they stopped as they heard her approach,

"Meia! What happened back there, where is Callo?" Zack asked through massive gasps. She slowed and stopped, looking behind her instinctively,

"He's been captured by the enemy…"

"What? How!"

"They have some kind of anti-SOLDIER tranquilizers…one was enough to take Callo down in less than ten seconds. If we get hit, were as good as captured too" She explained, only needing a moment to catch her breath. Renji was doubled over trying to recover, but he lifted his head and looked at her,

"Meia…you're our commander now….what do we…do?"

Meia simply stood and stared. She was in charge. They were cut off and surrounded by the enemy, who were out looking for them. There was no way off the island save the cave they had come in and by now, enemy would be guarding it. And what was worse, they had weapons that could stop SOLDIER's. She didn't know what to do…what should she do? She looked at Zack and Renji, who were both observing her with uncertainty. They'd just watched their commanding First loose his mind and now, Meia felt like losing hers. She backed up a couple of paces before turning and walking off, clutching her sides. The weight and reality of the situation had dredged up old feelings of fear and hesitation and she struggled to see past them. They had no leader, she had no guidance. She was alone…_What do I do?_

She felt a hand on her shoulder and she turned to find Zack's blue eyes staring at her,

"Meia, what's wrong?" He asked her quietly. She shook her head, her eyes wide…

"I don't know what to do, Zack…" She answered timidly, unable to contain the panic she felt. Zack glanced behind him before turning back and grasping her other shoulder. He bent to her eye line and looked her dead in the eyes,

"You can do this, Meia, I have confidence in you" He said with a gentle shake, "Hell, I've admired you since day one, it takes a tough lady to sign up for SOLDIER"

_But I didn't sign up! I was forced to join…I didn't want this! _Meia squeezed her eyes shut in an attempt to regain control.

He shook her again, forcing her to listen "You can do this, you can lead us. You used to be a Turk right? You must have lead missions in the past…this should be a cinch"

Zack was right. She had taken command in the past, as a Turk. Nothing had changed, except her profession. She was intelligent; she was resourceful and what's more she had the support of her comrades…

"…_How is that a test of your abilities? How does that show me you're capable of taking care of yourself?"_

She blinked as she recalled his voice…Sephiroth. He believed in her as well. She would show him she _could _take care of herself. She would make him proud.

Meia took a deep breath and nodded at Zack, who released her and stood to attention,

"Awaiting orders Sir"

It was now night time on the small island in the middle of nowhere and three figures crouched in the dark. The first thing they needed to do, Meia had instructed, was to get word to HQ that things had gone wrong. But when they pulled out their phones, as predicted, there was no signal. So they had to find some other way to send a message. Meia had set a steady pace that everyone could maintain and led them to the east side of the island, where they found the supply crates dropped by Shinra several months ago. Amazingly, the enemy hadn't discovered them or if they did, they had left them alone. But much to the SOLDIER's frustration, not one of the crates contained communications equipment…

_Earlier…_

"So what do we do? Dive off a cliff and swim for it?" Renji asked, still picking through what supplies they had. Meia scoffed gently and pulled out a large bag containing a tent,

"No, I doubt we'd make it…physical alterations or not" Correction, she doubted _they_ would make it… "Plus we have a missing man and an opportunity to spy on the enemy"

"That's the Meia I know!" Zack piped up; wrestling with the framework he'd taken out the bag Meia found, "So what's our plan?"

She sighed, "Simple. Set up camp here and after dark, sneak into the enemy base and use their communications to send a message. Then we look for Callo" She concluded. Renji, who was now helping Zack set the tent up, chuckled,

"Just like that, eh Sir?"

"Please, _Meia. _And yes…just like that" She paused what she was doing and looked at them both, "Are you two going to be alright?"

The two men looked at each other and then at her, "Of course. We'll be fine now we have a stable leader…" Zack muttered. Meia decided to ignore that quip, but he had a point. Meia now knew why Callo was acting so strangely, though she had to admit it was a shock. She was under the impression she protected people from Jenova's influence, but clearly…that wasn't the case…she only protected Sephiroth…She wracked her brain; Why only him?

…_because of what you are, woman, and what Shinra made you into…_

What Shinra made her into? A SOLDIER? Was the SOLDIER treatment somehow responsible? But that wasn't right; all SOLDIER's received the same treatment. Logically, everyone would shield each other. There was something else going on, something that tied her to her dear friend and made it so she could shield him, but only him. It certainly was a slight inconvenience and she hoped there was no other mentally unstable SOLDIER's hanging around, or they would all be trying to kill her…

It didn't take the three of them long to establish a concealed camp and as Meia commanded, they headed off well after dark in search of some unfortunate enemy victims.

Now, still crouched on a different cliff top, a group of four Wutai soldiers were making their way towards their position. When they were close enough, Meia gave the signal and the hapless guards were jumped before they could react. Meia took on two, winding one with a brutal punch to his solar plexus and turning to kick the other in the head, with enough force to snap his neck. Renji and Zack each killed their own targets and dragged them into the bushes, covering their tracks as they went. Meia then busied herself by interrogating the man she had winded. As he spilled all the information he was squeezed for, and then some, Renji and Zack stripped the uniforms off the other three guards. When Meia was done, in a moment of mercy, she knocked him out cold, gagged him tight and then used the enemy's own restraints to attach him to his dead comrades, finishing up with an anti-SOLDIER tranquilizer to put him out for a very long time.

Thanks to the soldier, they had the location of the enemy's communication tower as well as the codes to the secure channel that bypassed the jamming signal the Wutai were sending out. Which explained the reason for haywire instruments…natural phenomena indeed, Meia thought. Whoever analysed that one should be shot…The three companions hurried and changed into the enemy's uniforms, Meia padding hers out at the waist to disguise her figure. Quickly they resumed the patrol pattern they'd observed the four man group following earlier.

Eventually, it took them right down into the enemy complex. It was late by now and activity was minimal. Confidently they strode past enemy soldiers and patrols, keeping out of the way of dog patrols. Meia had a hunch the animals would be able to smell the difference with them. Gradually they meandered their way to the tall communication tower, which had a single guard posted at the base of the access stairs. Carefully the three man group skulked into the shadows, Renji and Zack staying put while Meia caused a quiet distraction. As the guard came to investigate, joining Meia as she stared up at the tree's looming above, Zack jumped him from behind and broke his neck, dragging him behind the supply crates piled behind the tower.

There was a mere one guard in the tower itself so Meia posted Renji to replace the dead guard while she and Zack climbed up to the doorway. They walked in quickly and while the half asleep Wutain yawned and began babbling in his own language, they crossed the gap and dispatched him quickly. Zack found somewhere to stash the body while Meia sat in front of the communications terminal. It was all written in Wutain, but luckily she wasn't as useless as she was back in Clydia. Since returning to Midgar, Meia had enrolled to study the language and although she was nowhere near as able to speak it as confidently as Sephiroth, she at least had a basic grasp by now. She let out a slow breath as she donned the heavy headset and began to key in the access codes…

_Junon – communications room, 00:46_

"Hahaha! No way…no way! You didn't?"

"Hell yes I did…I even said to him…"

"Shh, wait…can you hear this?"

"Barely, boost the receiver's power…"

…_Sait…c….an..one hear…e?_

"A little more…"

_I….peat, this is Meia LeSait…can anyone hear me?_

"Uh, we hear you Miss, you're really quiet though…can you speak up?"

_Oh thank Gaia, no can do. I need to speak to Director Lazard urgently; it's a matter of life or death…_

_

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_I couldn't resist bringing Renji back xD

Next chapter - As the small unit of SOLDIER's uncover more of the enemies secrets, things take a turn for the worst as Meia protects her subordinates...meanwhile, the President panics and sends in the heavy guns. Or should that be _gun..._

Please review if you have a spare minute, I would apreciate it lots and lots! :)


	30. Chapter 29 And the Hero

Hai everybody! I hope you are feeling a little better than me, who is sporting a huge headache after so much proof reading (and I probably still missed bits u_u; for this I am very sorry, but three readthroughs later my brain is all mushy) But...a new chapter is here for you to sink your teeth into. Im also getting a little worried, my reviews keep vanishing in chunks and then reappearing D: making me panic!

My usual thanks to my readers, regular and new. And much hugs and love for my reviewers, who rock very very much :)

**Sephiroth and all original final fantasy VII names and places are copyright to Square Enix! And this is a work of fandom, not for profit. I do however own Meia, Renji and the other odd OC that may crop up.**

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**Chapter 29**

"Lazard here…who is this?"

_Sir! I'm sorry about the late hour…_

"Meia?...what…what's going on? Is everything all right?"

_No Sir, it's not. I don't have a lot of time…the mission has become far more serious. There is an enemy base on this island and Callo has been captured-_

"Captured? How?"

_The enemy has some kind of anti-SOLDIER tranquilizers Sir, they shot him with one and he was out cold in an instant…_

"That's impossible…what's your situation?"

_Not great, Sir, we managed to escape and infiltrate the facility to send this message. The jamming signal is coming from the Wutai, Sir; it's not a natural phenomenon… we…_

"Meia…? …Meia!"

…_false alarm, sorry. What are our orders, Sir?_

"Can you disable the jamming frequency?"

_No Sir, I've been trying but the code…it's complex and in Wutain…I won't be able to figure it out in time…_

"I see. I'll send reinforcements, Meia, but you're going to have to sit tight until they can get there, understand?"

_Yes Sir, understood. We'll use the time to gather all the intel we can…_

"Please be careful, Meia, don't take any unnecessary risks"

_Understood. Meia out-_

All eyes were on the digital Dictaphone in Lazard's hand as he ended the recording and turned to the portly man sitting at the head of the grand conference table,

"We received that transmission approximately forty minutes ago, Mr President. We need to get our forces to that island and retrieve our SOLDIER's"

Lazard had wasted no time in contacting the president after Meia's transmission. Now, nearly every department head had assembled in the conference room, despite the late hour. President Shinra was notably alarmed with the situation; He'd already questioned everyone as to why the island base wasn't discovered sooner. The man wasn't happy…All of the executives sat in silence, listening to the company head drumming his chunky fingers on the table before him. Eventually he sucked in an enormous breath through his nose,

"It's not the SOLDIER's I'm worried about, it's the enemy" He stated in an arrogant tone.

Lazard clenched his jaw, "With the greatest of respect, Sir, those SOLDIER's are you're fighting elite and are gathering valuable intelligence right now. They need to be saved as well as the Wutai being stopped" He said steadily. The president took his time surveying everyone in the room before standing up,

"Where is Sephiroth?"

"On his way back from the Wutain continent Sir"

"Send him in"

"But Sir" Rufus Shinra spoke up beside his father, "Is that necessary? Anything Sephiroth is involved in automatically gets a lot of media attention…do we really want this…slip up, getting out?"

"Then we don't broadcast any of it. Send him in, he can be picked up by a chopper in Costa del sol and dropped as close as possible. It won't take him long to swim the distance…"

"But father…"

"That's my last word! Send in Sephiroth! Order him to destroy everything, I want no evidence left!"

Lazard sighed, "Yes, Mr President"

* * *

By now, Meia had lead her small resistance group along the patrol path their unfortunate victims had trod and were now back out of the base, away from earshot,

"I have no idea when the next guard change is going to be" She began in a hushed voice, "But I'm going to assume a minimum of four hours, which doesn't give us a lot of time"

"Is Shinra sending reinforcements?" Renji asked quietly.

"Yes, but we have no way of knowing when they will arrive so…" She stopped and looked at him, "We have to survive until then" She finished with a slight smile.

"I doubt that will be a problem, Miss ex-Turk" Zack commented with a small laugh, "I think most SOLDIER's would have just rushed in and tried to destroy everything back there"

Meia crossed her arms and looked at the stars through the thick canvas of leaves above them, "let's be honest, that's not the best strategy" She replied with a sigh, "Only one man could accomplish such a thing and emerge alive. We on the other hand are heavily outnumbered and" Meia's hand drifted to the tranquilizer gun at her hip, "Potentially outgunned…"

The other two SOLDIER's beheld the weapon in the gloom stoically. The thought of a weapon being able to take down one of the largest SOLDIER's they had in just one shot was frankly frightening. Suddenly, all three of them weren't as invulnerable as they once thought.

They set off again, heading back once more into the main base. Meia warned that it was only a matter of time before the bodies at the tower were discovered. They could be found at any moment. Luckily, as they approached the main camp, there was no sign of alarm and they continued carefully. No one stopped them or even raised a hand in greeting; the mood amongst the enemy soldier's was very subdued, almost morose.

Meia led them further back; she was heading to the man-made cave carved from the rear of the quarry. She wanted to find out why there were suspicious people in bio suits and lab coats seen there earlier in the day. Now, in the early hours of the morning, the activity was minimal, as it was for the rest of the base. Meia led them in confidently, not wanting to arouse suspicion by appearing hesitant. As they progressed deeper, the cold light from the clear night sky was replaced by artificial lighting in yellows and reds. The whole interior was beginning to look very familiar; pipes and cables ran along the ceilings, walls and floors. Everywhere they looked, signs warning of chemical and biological hazards were displayed. Eventually, the long wide corridor was intersected by another, narrower one and beyond the intersection; doors to other areas became visible.

They were quite deep in by now and Meia found herself wondering how far back this cave reached. This wasn't done in a short amount of time, the Wutai were probably present on the island way before Shinra discovered it. As they passed the doors, windows were also installed and they peered inside. Most of the rooms were very dark, but what they could make out was slightly disturbing; large instruments, what looked like beds and surgical trays. Meia began to feel queasy all of a sudden…the bio suits, the coats…the rooms. She drew her comrades up quietly and glanced around. Aside from the odd few people in white coats, they hadn't met anyone else and at the moment, they were alone. She reached down and tested one of the doors which astonishingly was unlocked. Carefully they stepped inside, clicking the latch shut behind them. They stuck to the shadows and let their eyes adjust. Slowly, Meia's fears were confirmed; it was looking all too much like one of Hojo's labs. Mercifully it was clean but it was still disturbing. Renji stepped away slightly and appeared to be trying to take the sight in,

"Why is this here, Meia? What's going on…" He asked in a timid voice; this mission appeared to be proving too much for the green rookie, but Meia was still impressed with his cool head. She placed a hand on his arm gently in an effort to reassure him,

"I don't know, Renji, but I'm sure we'll find out" She whispered gently. Renji smiled at her but it quickly faded as the sound of raised, slightly panicked, voices met their ears. Quickly all three of them ducked and in the next instant, they saw what was causing it.

Outside the room in the eerie corridor, a group of figures moved into view of the window. Two people in thick, grimy, bio suits were carrying a heavily struggling figure between them. The captive was howling and screaming, horrid bloodcurdling sounds that chilled all three SOLDIER's to the bone as they crouched in the darkness and watched. The people in the suits were having trouble holding their captive down; they struggled to carry it into the lab opposite the room concealing the crouched SOLDIER's. When they had, what appeared to be two scientists followed after them and closed the door.

The three comrades didn't dare to move for several minutes, but there was no more sign of activity so Meia allowed herself to relax. She could feel Zack getting twitchy next to her,

"Are you alright, Zack?" She asked in as hushed a tone as she could manage. He simply nodded and looked back towards the other lab. Meia took a quiet breath,

"We can't go anywhere until that lab is empty again" She carried on quietly, "So we need to stay put and stay calm, Zack…" Meia knew Zack got restless on missions and she hoped he could contain himself a little while longer. But both men acknowledged her and they waited, surrounded by the gloom and sterility of the enemy's lab.

It was well over an hour later now; whatever business was being conducted in the room across the corridor was finally concluded. They watched as the scientists emerged, both appearing to be talking in frustrated tones before heading away again, deeper into the facility. A moment later, the figures in the bio suits appeared, this time wheeling a table between them. Meia supressed a gasp as she beheld the dark form that lay upon it.

A body bag.

Presumably containing the struggling victim only now…it was completely still. She swallowed as Renji caught her attention,

"That's what we saw in the cave" He hissed quietly, "They are just dumping the bodies in there? Why not burn them or something?"

"Burning would create smoke, which someone would spot. It's probably more convenient to just throw them in the water and be done with it" Meia replied after a moment's thought.

Meia gave it a good few minutes to make sure no one was coming back before they crept out the lab and continued their infiltration. Now, the further in they went, the more people they saw. All scientists who thankfully ignored them, but it was making the trio uneasy. Meia hoped they could keep their cool long enough to see this through. But after a while, she noticed something that was very familiar to her; a mako haze. It's not possible, how could the enemy have their own reactor? Only Shinra had the power and money to construct such a thing, plus the technical know-how. But Meia reminded herself, they were using Clydia's reactor. It wasn't too much of a stretch to imagine the enemy figuring out how to build one. Still, it would take a very intelligent individual to build their own simply from scavenging blueprints…

Meia brought the group to a halt; up ahead the wide main corridor began to slope downwards and quite a large gathering of scientists and even a few soldier's had amassed. She had no desire to lead her men through them. There was a side corridor up ahead so they quickly and smoothly turned down it. It was curved and appeared to be taking them to the same destination as the main corridor, though it didn't slope. The haze got thicker and they marched on until the source became apparent. Meia signalled her comrades to stay in the corridor while she stepped out onto a narrow walkway, following the curve of a cavern wall and suspended over a lower floor. And one half of the lower floor was a lifestream pool. Meia swallowed as she beheld it; her and green pools didn't mix well, but when she looked around properly, the liquid became the least of her worries.

It seemed this was the end of the line, a large cavern hollowed from the rock. Opposite her, suspended on walls and walkways were pods, not unlike the ones she saw in Clydia's reactor. Below her was the larger main floor, taking up half of the cavern space, and appeared to contain yet more equipment and a small reactor core. Various pipes were supplying the pods with power and green ichor flowing from the pool below them. From this distance, she couldn't see exactly what was occupying the pods but they appeared to be human. Meia's mind was a blur. Yet more evidence of experiments involving human beings, and more evidence suggesting Shinra was somehow involved. She gazed at the small, makeshift reactor core; maybe she was wrong, though, maybe they weren't involved. Maybe it was all the work of the Wutai, constructed from whatever they could steal. She bit her lip; she needed a closer look at the pods. Currently there was no one below her in the cavern itself, though she was well aware of the group in the main corridor.

Meia carefully walked back to her two companions,

"There is a reactor core in there…as well as something else I want a closer look at. Stay here and watch my back while I go down and check it out"

"Are you sure that's a good idea, Meia?" Zack asked straight away, "If we're discovered down here we are in trouble, there is only one way out"

Meia knew this, however they may not get another chance to inspect the site and any information would help Shinra, "I know Zack, it's a risk but I need to know what's going on here"

Her two comrades looked at each other before nodding, "We trust you Meia, we'll watch your back" Renji stated simply. Meia nodded and together they moved out onto the walkway.

Meia checked one last time before climbing gracefully over the guardrail and dropping silently to the floor below. Ever cautious, she crept forwards towards the pods. She didn't see it at first, but as she got closer her blood ran cold. A fair few of the figures inside them wore SOLDIER uniforms. Thirds, seconds…and one First. Callo…She couldn't believe it, why would the enemy be experimenting on SOLDIER members? She was under the impression the extent of the Wutain offensive was military. But what she saw here suggested otherwise…

Before she could contemplate the situation any further, her sharp hearing detected footsteps approaching. She looked around quickly; they were descending from the main corridor behind her and she didn't have time to dash back up to her concealed comrades. Quickly Meia found cover out of the way and hid herself, just before two figures emerged into the cavern…

"….t understand why we are doing this"

"It's simple; we need a force comparable to SOLDIER to fight Shinra"

"But what we are doing here is inhumane, Fuhito, can't you see?"

"All I see is a wealth of untapped knowledge waiting for me to discover"

"But all your experiments are dying, you lost three today and the Shinra are beginning to suspect. They want to know where their elite fighting force are all disappearing too…"

"Are they now…

"AVALANCHE doesn't need any super soldiers; we are strong enough on our own…"

"I think not, the tranquilizers aren't enough…we need to be able to best them in combat without relying on them"

"…very well, Fuhito, but I warn you; they suspect. If we're not careful our whole operation could be blown…"

"I doubt _he _would allow that to happen…"

Meia listened to the figures conversation with her heart beating in her ears; AVALANCHE…she recalled the same word scrawled on a piece of paper in the Clydia reactor, along with the words _imperial swords_. Were they…the same? Her mind was yet again a blur; an organised terrorist group was trying to make a force that could combat SOLDIER. Make…like creatures in a clone shop…was that even possible?

The sound of footsteps approaching her position snapped her round. The two figures continued conversing, though the male was steadily getting closer to where she was hiding. Meia risked a glance at Zack and Renji, who she could just see on the walkway. They looked alarmed, she didn't blame them…

"And what of the three intruders that we didn't manage to catch?"

"Still nowhere to be found, they haven't tried escaping back out the underwater cave either"

"I'm very interested in the woman, our guards reported she was quite the athlete…and she dodged all the tranquilizers fired at her with ease…the First class we captured isn't proving very interesting at all, I also believe his mind to be somewhat…addled…"

Meia held her breath as the man trailed off, sounding very close now. The other person, a female, started to speak but was hushed by her companion…

"What do we have here? Why are you crouched and hiding, soldier?"

_Shit! _Meia rose carefully, her back turned to the man, she didn't have a clue what to say and her heart was still hammering away…

"I'm sorry sir…it appears I was caught napping on the job" Meia forced her voice to remain calm as she addressed him. The man made a sound of musing,

"Turn around, I don't recall there being any female commanders on site with us…"

Meia turned, but knew full well she was busted. The man addressing her was fairly short with chestnut coloured hair swept back from his face. He beheld her with spectacled eyes and frowned,

"You seem…familiar somehow, why don't you take off your hat and goggles for me, hmm?"

Meia swallowed and glanced past him at the female. She was gazing at her with a blank expression, Meia could tell she was important due to her altered uniform but she made no move to assist her friend,

"Didn't you hear me?" The man repeated, "Take them off, please"

Meia reached up to her head but before she could do as the man requested, his female companion received a transmission on her radio;

_Ma'am! Our guards at the tower…they've been killed! And we found four more dead outside the perimeter_

The man cocked an eyebrow, "It would appear our intruders have caused some…damage" He took a step towards Meia, who took one back…the game was up. The woman finished her communication and started towards her also, drawing her weapon; a chunky katana. She marched right up to Meia before she could react, ripping the hat and goggles from her head,

"I don't recognise you" She hissed, "Identify yourself"

Meia paused a moment, before lifting her gaze to meet the woman's eyes, "LeSait…SOLDIER second class…"

A look of shock appeared on the woman's face as straight away Meia head-butted the male, knocking him clean out,

"Fuhito!" She took a step back and ducked, dodging a punch thrown at her by Meia, who was on the offensive again. However when the woman recovered and began to fight back, Meia noticed she wasn't like the others. She was fast and very strong; managing to block Meia's attacks solidly and throw back some of her own…she certainly wasn't normal to be able to combat a SOLDIER…

By now Zack and Renji had leapt down to assist their commander and together they managed to overpower the woman, Meia finally connecting a punch that sent her reeling,

"We need to get out of here, go you two" She stated quickly, "While you still have your cover intact"

"We're not leaving you again, Meia!" Zack hissed. She rounded on him with fierce eyes,

"Go, now! I'm ordering you too" She commanded, gesturing toward the corridor, "…I'll be right behind"

Reluctantly the two men turned and ran out of the cavern as Meia turned back to the woman,

"What has AVALANCHE got to do with the imperial swords, answer me!" Meia demanded. The woman picked herself up gingerly and held a hand to her head,

"The imperial swords…were Fuhito's…" She began slowly, but stopped, "I'm not telling you any more than that…"

Meia growled and nailed the woman with another vicious punch, sending her sprawling on the floor again. Meia picked her up by the front of her jacket,

"Tell me…" She said again, her voice low and dangerous. Her training as a Turk had resurfaced… The woman simply stared and beheld her,

"You better run…by now the alarm has been raised…and your friends fleeing to escape will look very suspicious" She croaked. Meia's eyebrows tightened in fury as sirens began to sound and she dropped the woman, fully intending to kill her. But something stopped her as she reached for her tanto…the woman's eyes were gazing defiantly at her. This woman was important, she may be the only one who knows about the connection between the two groups…and she was no use dead. Meia pressed her lips together and made her decision, quickly bringing up the tranquilizer gun and aiming it at her,

"Don't take this the wrong way; I need answers…but it's clear I'm not getting them today" Meia informed her, before firing off a round and knocking her out. The gun was empty now and Meia discarded it before heading out the cavern, glancing back at the captured form of Callo. There wasn't time to rescue him now and she fled the same way she'd sent Zack and Renji.

As with before, Meia's enhanced physique caught up to her friends quickly, who were almost out of the cave. But as they approached the mouth, they saw the enemy were clearly looking for them. And what was worse, a guard had spotted them running. He raised a cry and before they knew it, the mouth of the cave was being surrounded. They had seconds to move and together they tore through the enemy lines, knocking a few back from shear shock, and continued running for their lives. They headed for the slopes that would take them out the quarry and back up to the cliff tops; so far they appeared able to outrun the enemy and Meia dared to feel optimistic once more. But her ears picked up the sound of a dart being fired and she looked up. The shot was fired from a group in front of them, and it was aimed right at Renji…

The shot flew through the air; it appeared to be happening in slow motion for Meia. She saw every inch of distance it covered as it headed for Renji's chest and with a surge; she grabbed him around his waist and spun round, shielding her friend from the incoming dart. Zack flew on ahead and with a yell, attacked the enemy with all his might, the speed of the man clearly catching the troops off guard. They fell off the slope into the camp below and Meia watched as more soldiers rushed to catch up with them, swarming up the side of the quarry. Zack stopped and stared at the dart sticking out of Meia's back but she hissed for him to keep going, throwing Renji ahead of her once again. She didn't know how long she had, but she was determined to defy it to the end. Eventually they reached the top of the slope and the heavy forest that lay beyond it; at least Zack and Renji would make it.

Meia gasped as another dart flew into her, clearly fired at Zack but she had moved in the enemy's line of sight, completely by accident. She looked down at it sticking out her side, noting the looks of distress given by her comrades,

"Go you two, quickly. Get back to camp" She commanded quickly, "I'll try and lead some of them in the wrong direction…don't even try to tell me not too!" She hissed before they had a chance to speak. They nodded, their expressions grim, and disappeared into the trees. Meia gritted her teeth and took off in the opposite direction, praying she had enough time to give her friends a head start.

Zack and Renji ran until their lungs were on fire. Then they ran some more, taking a non-linear path to their camp. Before both men collapsed they slowed down, confident they were out of any immediate danger. Then they began to cover their tracks as Meia had shown them earlier. The sun was beginning to show itself by the time they were back at their own camp, having concealed it so well they had trouble finding it.

Renji sat down on a fallen tree and hung his head,

"Do you think they got Meia?" He said solemnly. Zack stopped what he was doing and stood up,

"Probably…she had two of those things sticking in her…" He answered quietly, his voice stripped of all his usual joviality. Renji yanked off his stolen headgear and ran a hand through his dirty blond hair,

"She took them for us, Zack…they were aimed at us…" He said quietly, "she saved us…"

Zack turned to face his comrade, "Yea…she did, so we should make damn sure we get her back safely" He stated, punching his fist into his palm. Renji nodded and stood.

The two men sat in camp and waited until around noon to start formulating their own plan, each taking it in turns to rest while the other kept watch. As they sat, drawing lines in the dirt, a distant rustling of leaves caught their attention. They hid themselves quickly; neither of them could fathom how the Wutai had found them, they were certain they'd covered their tracks well enough. As they crouched in the trees, the rustling became louder and the sound of gentle panting met their ears. Finally a figure ran beneath them into their camp. A lone figure…

"Meia!" Zack's yell verged on a squeak as he hurried out of his tree to the ground to join her, Renji following close behind.

Meia breathed a sigh of relief, for a moment she thought her friends hadn't made it and she welcomed them with a smile,

"We thought…the tranqs…I don't understand, Meia" Renji babbled, clearly relived to see her back.

"I don't understand either, but they had no effect on me"

"None at all?" Zack stared at her as she shook her head, "That's amazing! I wonder why…"

"Me too, but if I'm immune…" She took a deep breath and faced them both, "I'm going back for Callo"

Any elation that was present in Zack and Renji's faces drained straight away, and they simply stood and stared at her. Meia pursed her lips and turned away, crossing her arms as she did so. She had no idea why the massive dose of tranquilizers hadn't put her out. She was the same as Callo, a SOLDIER, so why? Was it the lifestream exposure? Or something else. So far, all she had discovered on this island was question after question and without her usual muse to bounce ideas off of; she was beginning to get frustrated.

Zack cleared his throat behind her, "Meia…we should just wait for the reinforcements, we can rescue Callo then"

Meia shook her head, "If I know what Shinra is like Zack, we won't get that chance" She stated simply, "I'm going back while I still have time. Maybe I can capture the scientist and that woman as well"

"Meia please…" Renji stepped closer and she turned again, a gentle smile on her face,

"I appreciate your concern, but I'll be fine" She reassured them. Zack sighed, placing his hands on his hips and shaking his head,

"At least let us help"

"No, I can't risk taking you in there too…"

Zack looked up and grinned, "Who said anything about going in with you?" He stated a twinkle in his eye. Meia arched a slender eyebrow,

"What did you have in mind…"

* * *

Evening on the second day was fast approaching now, the sky beginning its cycle through the warm colours that heralded dusk. But deep in the cave where the Wutain scientist sat, pouring over his laptop, he could see none of it. He was looking over report after report, some over twenty years old, with a deep frown upon his face…

"I thought she looked familiar…" He muttered to himself. He brought a hand up to the sore lump forming on his forehead while jotting down some notes in a small pad. He continued for a while longer, recalling files, making notes and talking to himself, until he was loudly interrupted,

"Fuhito…we have a serious problem" The same female Meia had shot in the cavern stated, bursting through the door to the scientists small office. The man named Fuhito sighed heavily and adjusted his glasses,

"Elfé…must you be so _loud?_ I'm trying to work here…what could possibly-"

"We need to get off this island, _now_…Shinra has sent _Him_ and if we don't go now, we're all dead…"

Fuhito made a sound that suggested this piece of news was a massive inconvenience, "How long do we have?"

"Hours, minutes…seconds, who knows? We have to go Fuhito!" Elfé insisted, stepping closer to her colleagues back, "Your experiments are going to have to stay here"

Fuhito twisted his chair to look at her, "Are you mad? They represent months of work!"

"Months of work that would have been for nothing if we don't survive. Leave them, destroy them. Dispose of them, that's an order…" Elfé turned to leave, "We go now"

* * *

Meia crouched behind the cover of thick vegetation and scattering of rocks, awaiting her signal. At Zack and Renji's insistence, she had allowed them to plan a diversion. A loud, chaotic diversion in true Zack style, or so he claimed. She hoped they could look after themselves, but Meia quickly chastised herself; they were SOLDIER's too. She should stop worrying and have more faith in them. She focused on her own task, infiltration. A few minutes later, the sun beginning it's descent to the horizon, the diversion happened right on cue. Meia couldn't help but grin as an enormous explosion rocked the opposite side of the vast quarry, sending up plumes of coloured smoke from the cliff and rocks flying into the pit below. Materia bombs, nice and flashy.

She took a steadying breath and peered over the boulders she was hiding behind. As predicted, the enemy was in turmoil but her eyebrows tightened in concern; it appeared a large group of them were trying to leave. She stood and watched as small helicopters were fired up and personnel, military and scientific alike, rushed to haul gear and supplies into them. This wasn't right, surly they weren't that spooked by three SOLDIER's to warrant fleeing entirely? _Unless_…Meia remembered the reinforcements. But the Wutai had no way of knowing when they would arrive.

She pushed her doubts and questions to the back of her mind and began her descent into the quarry, still clothed in the uniform of the enemy. No sooner had she set foot on the rocky slope that lead down into the pit, she saw the scientist and the woman emerge from the cavern, clearly in a hurry to leave. Meia pushed harder and cursed under her breath; the likelihood of stopping and capturing them had become remote. Despite her speed they were already boarding their chopper, the pilot wasting no time in getting airborne. By the time she had reached the base of the slope, several more helicopters were already in the air and preparing to pull away. Much to Meia's frustration. Still, there was Callo to rescue.

While she was still looking skyward at the rapidly escaping enemy, an enormous cry went up from the troops on the ground. She watched as the enemy soldiers all formed up and appeared to focus on the back of the quarry, opposite the cavern. Meia by now was at a loss to understand what was happening, her only conclusion was the reinforcements had arrived and the enemy's advanced watch had spotted them. But when she turned to the back of the quarry, suddenly the enemy's behavior made perfect sense…

He stepped up to the very edge of the cliff and observed the scene in front of him. The Wutai had been busy…Next he looked up and noted quite a few helicopters in the air, only one of which was currently out of his range. He smirked; if they thought they were safe, they had another thought coming. His keen eyes drifted down again as seemingly all the remaining troops were intending to stop him. Or stall him while the helicopters got away…He snorted softly to himself, _It will take more than that to stall me…_

Still, he would need to be on higher ground to reach them, so quickly he sighted the highest point – the top of the communications tower – and used his superior speed and agility to get there.

Meia watched in awe as Sephiroth seemed to vanish from the cliff top, only to reappear running across the quarry floor. His speed was unbelievable, Meia realised she'd never seen him in full swing before, not up close. Clearly his first target was the helicopters. None of the enemy troops could even aim at him, he was probably moving too fast for them to even track. She watched as he reached the communications tower and leapt onto the main deck, before performing another massive leap onto the metal ladder that was in place to allow access to the crow's nest. He scaled it in no time at all and once he was up there, swiftly cut the dish at the top from its moorings on the tower, sending it crashing to the ground below, effectively cutting off the enemies' communications. As well as their jamming signal. Now he had a clear line of sight to his target, but Meia didn't understand how he would reach them…

Sephiroth quickly assessed his prey; three he could take in one swing, the fourth he would need to get closer too and the fifth was too far away now. He stretched his left arm out, the beautiful steel extension held in his hand gleaming, ready to strike. In one massive stroke he swung it with all his force, sending out a shock wave that cut through the three closest helicopters with ease. In an instant, he spotted an opening to use the burning debris as a platform and wasted no time. He seemed to move on air, the distance closed in a split second, and from the burning metal sent forth another wave that felled the fourth and final chopper, sending it spiraling to the forest below. His eyes narrowed as he began to free fall, watching the fifth chopper get away. They knew he was coming, they had too…but the question was, how? He turned in mid-air and averted his gaze…

Now for the insects on the ground…

Sephiroth calmly spread his arms and legs to slow his fall, before tucking up and landing perfectly on his feet. He noted the cavern behind him but the bulk of the enemy were in front; most were aiming strange firearms at him, only the odd few choosing to stick to traditional guns. Maybe those were the weapons Lazard had warned him of? Still, he had a hard time believing any drug could fell him. He had an even harder time believing any of them would be able to land a shot…Sephiroth's usual smirk appeared on his lips as he squared up and began to stride forwards. Straight away tranquilizer darts were fired at him, only to bounce off the barrier he had erected to protect himself. His feet crushed and smashed the darts as he strode ever forwards, ever confident. They tried their traditional guns but again, it was no use. There was nothing any of them could do to stop Sephiroth. Finally, the realisation dawning, they began to take flight and run for their lives. It would help none of them…

Meia watched, at first in awe as usual but then a feeling of terror and horror crushed her. Sephiroth leapt into the enemy like a wolf amongst a pack of sheep. Blood flew like water, arcing and spilling from his every stroke. Every singly enemy soldier fell in a bloodied, mutilated mess, the fearsome Masamune slicing through them like they were nothing. Meia usually wasn't squeamish; usually she was able to behold the most terrible of things without flinching. But this was different. This was the man she called her friend. The man she had shared a loving kiss with not three weeks past. Except now he was the man who had sent himself to kill her, to test her. The man Hojo had forced her to fight when she was still inexperienced. This man was terrifying.

She crouched, motionless, and tried to reason with herself. She knew what Sephiroth was. She knew he was fearsome, she knew he was deadly. But seeing him in action was an onslaught her senses couldn't work through. All her logic was overshadowed by her fear; she'd seen him destroy two enemy vehicles at Howl's summit a year ago, but the sight of him carving normal, human flesh was something else. Something much more terrifying. Especially as she could see his face, his body language. As he was now, it was easy to read. The customized suit he wore, black with silver armor plates on his shoulders and arms, hid none of his aggression, his pride.

And what's more, she knew he wasn't holding back. He wasn't hiding himself because he didn't know she was watching. She took some comfort in this. At least he tried to protect her, to shield her from his true nature, but now she'd seen it. And she couldn't tear her eyes from his pale face, tilted up to the heavens, wearing a satisfied expression as the enemy lay dead at his feet.

She took a deep breath and stood slowly, noting his eyes open as he sensed the presence of another being. But then her blood ran cold and it felt like she'd been punched in the heart; she was still dressed as the enemy…and now those fierce green eyes had narrowed and fixed on her position…

* * *

O_O Nooo, Seph, down boy!

Next chapter - With Sephiroth's adrenaline still pumping through his veins, will Meia be able to stop him before he cuts her down?

Please review if you have the time, I really apreciate the feedback :)


	31. Chapter 30 Tough love

_ Ah, this one was a pain! I wrote it, growled at it...re-wrote it...growled some more and finally...I'm satisfied. Ive been lucky to have a few more people help me out with my writing in the last few weeks so I've been reviewing my earlier chapters as well. But this one was irritating me due to Sephiroth (the bastard...) I wasn't happy with his scene's so I went over them...again and again until I was satisfied. I hope I did a good job V_V;

Thanks be to my readers and people enjoying this story, and biggest thanks to my reviewers, for sticking about while I plow through this mammoth beast of a fic XD and leaving me feedback :)

**Disclaimer - all original characters, places and events are property of Square Enix. This is a work of fandom, not for profit. I do, however, own the plot of this fic and Meia (and other odd OC's)**

* * *

**Chapter 30**

_3 weeks earlier…Training room 49__th__ floor_

Meia exhaled slowly and dropped her arm to her side, observing the scene before her. A hole was blasted through a panel with the words '_magic barrier –Training level; 3' _written across its top. The ruined combat aid hovered in its place for a moment more, before dissipating, only to be replaced with a fresh, intact version. Beside her, Meia's instructor made a sound in his throat that expressed his satisfaction,

"All four elements now, Meia, dare I say I'm impressed?" Sephiroth stated, shifting his head to observe her and cocking an eyebrow. Meia smiled for an instant before flexing her materia arm. She'd been at it for hours, but only now was she beginning to feel tired from her excursions. Sephiroth had arrived about thirty minutes ago, stating he wanted to watch her progress. She hadn't minded of course, but when he soundproofed the room and darkened the glass, she felt there was something else on his agenda…

"I can do better, I'm sure of it…you can be impressed then" She stated casually. Sephiroth chuckled slightly and unfolded his arms,

"Meia, Your improvement is astounding, compared to the skill you started with. So how about giving yourself a break?" He turned to her and smiled. She looked at him, unable to find a sensible argument. Besides, she was tired…and he was probably right. As always…

"Ok then, I'll get some more practice in tomorrow" She began to scratch her head, noticing Sephiroth appeared to want to say something; he was gazing at a spot somewhere near her feet, "What is it? Is there a reason you sealed the room?" She asked him finally. He sighed and flicked his gaze up to meet hers, causing a slight flutter in her chest,

"I'm being posted to the Wutain continent, Meia. I don't know when I'll be back…" He said soberly. Meia pursed her lips and nodded, though unable to hide her disappointment entirely,

"I'm sure you'll be back in no time. What's going on there anyway?" She asked him,

"Some sort of uprising; intelligence reports an army massing and appearing to be making preparations to mobilise. Shinra wants it stopped before it can…"

"So they are sending you?"

"And Angeal and Genesis, plus a small army of SOLDIER's and infantry"

Meia arched her eyebrows, "Wow, the big man is really spooked, huh…" Sephiroth nodded,

"Something like that" He said, stepping away and placing his hand on the smooth magic barrier, patiently waiting to be smashed to pieces.

Meia sighed and looked at his heels. She would miss him; nothing she could tell herself would overshadow that. But as she said, he'd be back, hopefully in time for the winter festival. Despite their promise to each other that their relationship wouldn't change, the kiss had deepened their connection. Meia was still content with the stolen smiles and the way he behaved in her company, but a small part of her longed to sink back into that sofa and into his arms again. She would just have to be strong. She would just have to be patient.

But she still found herself staring at his back, not wanting to step away from this moment. Neither of them had moved, each awaiting the other's silent permission to carry on. Meia exhaled through her nose and stepped up to him quietly. She wanted at least to touch before he left…

Gently she placed her hand on his back, against the soft cascade of hair that fell to meet his thighs. But she felt him tense beneath her fingertips; maybe this wasn't a good idea…

"I'm sorry…I didn't mean to surprise you" She said quietly with a sigh, and removed her hand,

"What have I said about saying sorry" He chastised her, his voice a low purr. Meia looked up and smiled as he took a careful step back, forcing her palm into his hair once more.

Sephiroth closed his eyes and allowed himself to feel the sensation of his hair being stroked gently. Normally…he would hate it. Only a few people were allowed to touch him in such a way, but Meia of course was now one of those people. And he found himself relaxing once more as she gently smoothed and fawned over his long locks. Tensing was something he couldn't help. After all, he was trained to associate a touch with danger. It had taken him a while to learn that not all contact was dangerous, but he still flinched…

"I can stop if you feel uncomfortable, you just have to ask" Meia said quietly,

"It's fine, Meia, I'm not used to it, that's all" He replied calmly. He found himself quite enjoying it, "One thing you have to learn about me, Meia…is a lot of things you take for granted, I was never shown"

"Hmmm…What kind of things?"

Sephiroth sighed and looked down, "Affection for starters…" _please don't reject me…_ "I…learned to associate human contact with pain. Injections, examinations…skin samples…" He swallowed and stopped. Talking about his past was still difficult for him. Breaking his protective barrier was hard, even when he knew almost for certain Meia wouldn't run. But there was always that little voice, at the back of his head…

_What if…what if she hates you…what if she thinks you're a freak…_

Sephiroth zoned out. He hated that voice; it was much easier to ignore it. Or not allow a situation to arise where it could taunt him. A situation such as this, being given affection by a woman he cared for. Meia's soft sigh brought him round again,

"Of course…I understand" She stated gently, "Although you know logically I won't hurt you, that old…emotional programming kicks in, almost like a primal fear…I can't really blame you" He felt her fingertips though his jacket, scraping his hair together. It sent a shiver down his spine. Sephiroth looked up again and smiled,

"I'm glad you understand, Meia" He told her, ever so quietly.

Meia smiled to herself and continued her silent affections for quite a while, finding it to be surprisingly soothing. She stroked, gathered and ran her fingers through the silver silk,

"When you come back, I'll buy you dinner" She chuckled quietly after sometime. Sephiroth imitated the sound,

"Always bribing me with food, Meia, you know me too well" He said with a contented sigh. His eyes closed slightly and his lips curled into a gentle smile as he felt Meia press her small body against his back, laying her head and hands between his shoulder blades…

_I've never been so happy…to be so wrong…._He thought.

He let her stay there for a few moments, before turning and placing his hand gently on her head,

"I have to go, we'll see each other soon" He said gently, before striding out of the training room, leaving Meia alone once more. She didn't feel so bad now…

* * *

Meia found herself panicking; she was dressed as an enemy commander. She'd even reacquired her headgear so she looked exactly like one of them. And now, she may well be killed for it. She held her hands up as Sephiroth turned to her, his muscles visibly readying for a dash across the distance that separated them. She began to yell out, to tell him to stop, while desperately clawing at the hat and goggles she wore. By now he was moving, the glint of the masamune flashed across her vision and she flung herself backwards in a desperate effort to dodge him. She landed unceremoniously on her backside and succeeded in tearing off the barrier to her identity, avoiding another slash as she did so,

"Sephiroth, stop! It's me!" She yelled, still holding her arm up in a futile effort to stop him. Quickly his face softened into a look of confusion, and then mild shock…

"Meia…? They sent you here?" He stated, lowering and dismissing the masamune from his left hand. Meia breathed a huge sigh of relief and laid back, thanking her lucky stars.

Sephiroth however, was cursing his. That was a bit too close; He had no idea Meia was on this island. What was she doing dressed as one of them? And worse, she had probably witnessed him killing all the enemy soldiers. He swallowed thickly; he hadn't planned on exposing her to that so soon. He rubbed his eyes with a gloved hand and turned, walking away a few paces. Why hadn't he sensed her here? Now he was thinking straight he could feel her. Did his mind focus that much on killing that nothing else mattered? Or was he simply not used to having to identify it. After all, he usually knew where Meia was… He would have to be more alert next time. He heard her get to her feet behind him, as well as the rustle of fabric,

"Well, now I can ditch these clothes at least…" She grumbled, hopping her way out of the trousers she wore. When she was done, she came up beside Sephiroth and removed her phone from the small case at her hip…

"Ah, signal once again" She quipped, flipping her phone open and poking through the address book. Sephiroth pursed his lips; she was trying to act as though she hadn't seen, as though nothing was wrong. But he would have to talk to her later about it,

"Hey Zack, it's me. Come back to the quarry when you're done up there, as quick as you can" She ordered and hung up again. She looked up at Sephiroth, whose expression was stony and quiet and directed at the bloodied pile of bodies in the middle of the quarry. Meia sighed and began to walk towards them, planning to inspect their remains in hopes of finding a sample of the tranquilizer they used.

Although she loathed the thought, Hojo would probably be interested. And if he had a sample, perhaps he could develop a substance to cancel its effects. As she approached, she swallowed and couldn't help but notice the precision of the cuts, the clean surgical way they were executed. It didn't take her long to locate an intact sample and she stowed it in a pack attached to her belt, before turning back to her now commanding officer,

"Sir, Callo is in the cavern, along with a few more members of SOLDIER…we should-" But Sephiroth shook his head,

"Not any more they aren't. The enemy were trying to dispose of their bodies when I arrived. It seems their goal was to destroy the evidence…"

Meia felt a twinge of regret; if only she had attempted to get them out the previous night…"I could have saved them…but I didn't…" She said quietly. Sephiroth shook his head again,

"Hardly, not all of them Meia. It's hard to accept, but there wasn't anything you could have done without risking your own life" He noticed her frown, "What happened isn't your fault"

She looked up at him and nodded solemnly, "So…what now?"

Sephiroth looked towards the cavern, "Now, I have my orders to carry out" He said grimly, before raising his hand, the materia in his arm glowing with fierce intent.

And that was that. Sephiroth had destroyed the cavern and the entire enemy base in a terrifying display of power. Meia knew asking him to stop for the sake of learning about the enemies experiments was futile. Sephiroth would carry his orders out, weather she said something or not. At least she had seen with her own eyes what was going on. And he would ask her when he heard the report in the debriefing…

_Three days later – 49__th__ floor – conference room_

Lazard drummed his fingers on the glossy wooden table for a few moments. He was scanning Meia's mission report on the screen in front of him. The occupants of the room were all silent. Zack and Renji had carried their orders out perfectly; there was nothing to say to them other than 'good job'. Meia knew Sephiroth was watching her. She could feel his keen eyes on her from across the table. Finally, Lazard let out a long sigh and leaned back,

"Well, considering the circumstances I believe the mission was handled well." He looked at Meia and continued, "Thanks to your leadership, Meia, most of our men are home safely. It is a shame Callo was captured…and killed" He trailed off. Meia thanked the director and resumed staring at her hands.

She had left out the details surrounding Callo's turn to madness. She didn't want to mention Jenova. Not yet, she had a feeling the entity's ties to Sephiroth were significant and if Shinra knew what was happening, more truth would be obscured as a result. Eventually the group was dismissed; everyone followed Lazard out except Sephiroth. He didn't even stir.

Meia slowed as she approached the door and looked back at him. He was sat, arms crossed with his chin resting close to his chest, staring straight ahead. He was brooding…

"Sephiroth…Sir?" She tried to keep her enquiry professional. Asking him on a personal level would break his character and she was aware he didn't want that to happen…

The tall man looked up and flicked his fingers over a panel on the table's surface. Meia was then aware of the door behind her locking.

_Ah…he wants to talk… _

She figured he wanted to know why Callo had lost his mind, or talk about what she had witnessed. She turned and walked back to the table, resting her hand on the back of a chair. But he didn't talk about either of those things, what he did say, took a moment to sink in…

"How could you be so foolish, Meia" He said flatly. Meia blinked, her eyebrows arching upwards as she took in his words,

"Foolish Sir…?" He was angry. How she hadn't figured it out was beyond her but his mood was plain to see now. His narrowed eyes shot up to meet hers,

"Yes, foolish" He repeated, uncrossing his arms and turning in his chair to face her, "What were you thinking? Planning to storm in there on your own to rescue a few captives…"

"I felt…I felt it was the right course of action, Sir, I'm immune to the darts-"

"You were immune to two of them, who's to say a third wouldn't have put you out?" Sephiroth continued, the anger seeping into his voice, though it was still calm…

Meia cast her eyes about. She was confused, "Sir, you always told me to be more confident, to believe in myself…"

"At the expense of your intelligence?" He replied coldly. Meia was taken aback. He rose and stood over her, giving off the impression he was taller than usual. But she refused to be intimidated. In fact, she refused to play this game anymore,

"Why don't you just say what's on your mind, Sir…" She replied defiantly, but Sephiroth didn't take the bait. Instead he unlocked the door and strode out without a word, leaving Meia holding a heavy heart. What had gone wrong?

* * *

Sephiroth was so angry with Meia, he didn't speak to her for a few days. But truth be told, he didn't know how else to feel what was currently eating away at him. But as he rode the lift to the science department, he realised; it was fear. He was still afraid of losing Meia. And he was furious with her for taking such a stupid risk that could have cost her life. Was it normal to want to scream at a loved one…and then take them in your arms and thank Gaia they were still there?

"It's perfectly normal"

"Hmpf, if only it were as easy as you pretend it is" Sephiroth mumbled darkly to Angeal. He had asked their opinions on their way through the building, unable to hide the fact something was bothering him. Angeal crossed his arms and let out a low laugh. Genesis sighed from the corner of the lift,

"You need to talk to her soon, or she'll think she's been cast aside" He drawled. Sephiroth watched him, but there was no sign of the man's usual mocking sarcasm. He was genuinely trying to be helpful this time. Sephiroth sighed and slumped against the back wall of the lift to gaze at the ceiling…

If this happened every time Meia was sent on a mission without him, he wasn't sure how well he could keep handling it. She was calm and level headed, but she still retained a sense of naivety. Recklessly diving in the mako pool to save the child. Planning a lone assault of the enemy base. Her decisions were brave and selfless, but at times…utterly stupid. Why didn't she value her own life as much as _he _valued it? Sephiroth closed his eyes; he was almost insulted by the thought.

"Wonder what the sadist wants today…" Angeal grumbled darkly as the lift pinged to a halt on their destined floor, bringing Sephiroth back to his senses. All three men filed out and headed towards the largest lab on the floor; Hojo's lab. When they entered, it was devoid of all personnel except the head scientist himself, who was busy muttering under his breath. He was studying a rack which held a fair few vials of fluid,

"I'm glad you finally decided to show, some of us actually have work to get on with" Hojo commented casually, "At least someone is on time" He gestured towards a group of four large examination tables, one of which was host to the seated form of Meia. She gave the group of men a nervous smile and carried on rubbing her arm slowly.

"Get your coats and armor off, I need to use your bodies" Hojo instructed quite casually. The man was in quite a good mood, for him at least. The insults so far had been mild…whatever he was working on, it was pleasing him immensely. After the three of them had stripped off their uniforms, leaving them feeling very naked despite still being clothed decently, they were instructed to sit on a bed each and wait. Sephiroth risked a glance at Meia before he claimed the bed beside her; her confused, almost pleading gaze made his heart sink…But something about it also made him slightly angry…

"Thanks to someone having a brain and bringing me a sample of the substance the enemy had developed, I have been able to work on an antidote…of sorts" Hojo began in his usual self-important tone, wheeling a table between the four beds. They were relieved to see it contained small, normal looking, needles.

As Hojo reached for one of them, the lab door slid open again, admitting the portly form of Professor Hollander. Hojo clicked his tongue,

"It's about time. If you must insist on handling your own business, have the decency to be here on time" He grumbled at the man. Hollander offered his apologies before joining the small group.

"Now to test the antidote, we of course have to knock you all out…" Hojo continued his lecture like explanation, preparing to inject Sephiroth, "We'll go right ahead and start you on three times the dose in the enemy guns, Sephiroth. I think it's safe to assume if Miss LeSait can withstand a double dose, so can you"

Sephiroth raised an eyebrow as he felt the tiny prick of the needle. Hojo had used his name…he _was _in a good mood…he watched Hollander administer the drug to Angeal and Genesis, who were sat opposite him and Meia. It looked like they were staring from dose number one…

After Meia was injected with a triple dose as well, they waited. None of them were even made drowsy by their first administration so the two scientists continued. After the fifth vial, Genesis began to show signs of drowsiness and the sixth took him out. Angeal went on his seventh.

"This is your fourth now, LeSait. Anything?"

"Nope….oh wait…yea, I'm getting sleepy…" Meia responded, blinking slowly through the fog clouding her vision. The last thing she felt was another needle prick, before she collapsed backwards onto the bed, sound asleep.

Putting Sephiroth out was quite impossible, however. He didn't even feel drowsy as the ninth dose was given to him and he sat with his arms crossed. Hojo seemed to be pleased with this, however…

"I don't think we can pump it into you fast enough. Most likely your liver and kidneys are dissolving the tranquilizer before it can affect you. You would die of anaemia before you were put to sleep" He proclaimed, almost proudly. Hollander was visibly fed up with the sounds of his boss's voice…

Hojo then proceeded to test the antidote on the sleeping SOLDIER's, which worked almost instantly,

"Good… this is an excellent result. I can formulate a vaccination from this data. You are all dismissed, try to leave quietly…"

* * *

"I feel like I've lost several days to sleep" Genesis groaned, rubbing his forehead, "I'm gonna head off…go listen to some rock music or something"

"Oh yes, because that will really help your head, Genesis" Angeal replied sarcastically, earning him a glare from the aforementioned. Sephiroth smirked ever so slightly before letting his eyes wander to Meia standing in the corner of the lift. She hadn't said a word to any of them the whole time and was currently staring at the floor…

He didn't want to initiate anything in front of Angeal or Genesis, mostly out of respect. He knew full well how awkward it was to be caught in the middle of a personal dispute between two people. He wanted to talk to her again though, to tell her why he was acting the way he was. Now he was less inclined to have his words fueled by anger…Sephiroth closed his eyes and tried not to remember how he had behaved earlier in the week. Of course, he always remembered…

He looked up as Meia stopped the lift on the SOLDIER floor, catching her glance at him as the doors closed. He sighed to himself; he didn't know whether it was a blessing or a curse that Meia was so level headed. At least if she acted like a petulant child, he would have an excuse to avoid her until she 'calmed down'. As it was, she did a very good job of provoking his feelings of guilt, despite the fact he thought she acted recklessly. But that wasn't her fault, and he chastised himself for thinking that way. Meia's calm, logical way of dealing with things between them was very convenient in his eyes. She would wait until the end of time for him to come to her…but that wouldn't be necessary…

_Later that day…_

_B class Residential building – 18:13_

Meia sighed and stared at her misty reflection in the mirror. _What did I do to make him so mad…_she released her dry hair from the band that kept it piled on her head, letting it fall heavily across her damp shoulders and back. _I need a haircut…_

She reached for an old, threadbare shirt that was far too big for her and pulled it over her head. Meia was hungry, but didn't feel like going anywhere to get food. She had trained all day, materia and weapons, only to be subjected to Hojo's new science project at the end of it. Sleep was the only thing her body would willingly submit to at this stage. Maybe once she'd taken a nap…

She looked up as someone knocked on her door several times, "Who is it…" She answered, not bothering to mask the fact she'd rather not be disturbed.

"It's me, Meia…" Sephiroth replied.

Quickly Meia located her soft robe and slipped it on before opening her door, "Hi…"

Sephiroth presented the coffee he brought her, "Can I come in?"

Meia nodded a few times and accepted the hot beverage, before moving aside to let him past her, "sit anywhere, I don't mind" She instructed him, clicking the door closed again and locking it. He chose to sit on the end of her small bed, his lips curling into a smile as she moved past him. He missed her presence, her smell…

"Are you here to reprimand me again?" She asked him, straight out this time. She settled carefully amongst her pillows and watched him. Sephiroth sighed,

"I'm here to explain the way I've been acting the last two days"

"So you're not sorry for what you said in the briefing room?"

Sephiroth fixed her with his eyes, "No, I'm not" He said steadily, noting her lips press together, "I meant what I said; I'm just sorry I couldn't stay there and see it through"

Meia shook her head and stared at the lid of the coffee cup, "You basically called me an idiot, Sephiroth…how do you think that made me feel?"

"How do you think _I_ felt when I hear you were willing to risk your life on a whim?" Sephiroth replied coolly. He wasn't angry anymore, merely disappointed. But he had a feeling she wouldn't appreciate him hopping around the bush…

Meia stared at him a moment…"So you're angry with me because of what I chose to do on that island? I thought you wanted me to be more confident…"

"I do, Meia, you are an amazing…"

"…SOLDIER, yea yea…I know…."

"….woman, Meia" Sephiroth said firmly, stopping her in her tracks, "And when your confident, you become even more so. But overconfidence will be the end of you" He lent back against the wall, noting Meia had finally begun to drink her coffee to steady her nerves.

"There is a vast difference between being confident and knowing your limits" He carried on, gently now that Meia was subdued, "Yes you could take two darts, but anymore and you would have been captured" He looked at her again; she was listening to him, a pained look on her face,

"You're not me" He said plainly, watching the reaction it invoked from her.

"Of course I'm not! The reason I try so hard is because I want you to see I can take care of myself…"

"You made a reckless and foolish decision, Meia" Sephiroth wasn't going to back down, not this time. Not until she realised…"I know you try hard, but you have to be careful too. Know your limits…"

"So I should have just left Callo, then…"

"Yes"

"How can you say that?" Meia exclaimed, her eyebrows drawn together,

"Because, I value your life more than His" He said plainly. Meia was shocked. At once he was utterly heartless…and totally devoted to her. She didn't know how to take it,

"Your honesty is…brutal, Sephiroth" She said quietly. He snorted softly,

"Maybe, but that's how I am. I won't lie to you" He raised his chin slightly, "You made me so angry, Meia, that I couldn't talk to you for fear of lashing out. You're important to me, as is Angeal and Genesis and I will not have you take stupid risks that could end in your death"

Meia stared at her cup. He wasn't shouting, wasn't even speaking firmly. But Sephiroth's message was plain,

"To be a good SOLDIER…" She began quietly, "I have to be more like you…that is what you're saying isn't it?"

"Correct" He replied flatly, "Promise me you'll think better in the future, I can't lose you, Meia…"

She stared at him for a while; his steady unblinking gaze was unsettling. But he had a point; if she got herself killed, Jenova would be free to work her way into his mind. Then only Gaia knows what would happen…This was Sephiroth's version of tough love, she wondered how far he would go to protect her…

"Would you ever dismiss me from SOLDIER? If you thought I couldn't handle it?"

"I can't dismiss you, but I can stop you from going on missions" He replied, "If keeping you safe means keeping you away from missions, then so be it"

"You're very possessive, aren't you?" Meia stated quietly. Sephiroth let out a sharp laugh and looked at her,

"Something tells me you don't mind, Meia…" He replied, almost seductively, though she was sure he didn't realise it. Meia's eyes flicked to her cup again and he carried on,

"You're a strong woman on the outside, but deep inside…you want nothing more than to feel the protection you once had, when your grandparents were still alive…"

"How could you…" Meia was in disbelief. He had never been so presumptuous with her, never been so forward…

"You try desperately to win my approval, to train hard every day so that I won't be disappointed…"

"You can stop now…why are you being so cruel…"

"So I'm right then" He arched a slender eyebrow as she pushed her trembling lips together and nodded. Sephiroth sighed and rubbed his forehead; he hadn't actually intended to be so harsh…"It's not cruelty, Meia…It's the truth"

"I know, but it hurts…"

"And I'm not the person your mother was" He said warmly as he rose, taking a closer position to Meia's outstretched legs, "You don't need to try so hard, you already have my approval…" He placed his hand over her calf and hesitated a moment, before laying its large span across the smooth skin of her leg. Meia sniffed back her welling tears and bit her lip,

"How long have you known…?"

"Only a few days, it came to me when I locked myself in the training room to let off some steam. I remembered what you told me that summer's night and I realised what you were doing, even if you didn't…"

Meia took a long gulp of coffee and wiggled her toes, "I think deep down I did. I was just reluctant to accept that she had hurt me so much. I wish I had the strength to ask her why she treated me the way she did…maybe that's another reason I try so hard" Meia mused. They sat in silence a while before she eventually sighed,

"I'll think before I act next time, I promise. Now I think of it, the plan was quite stupid, wasn't it…"

Sephiroth chuckled gently, "Yes it was. Your subordinates admire you, Meia, that much is plain to see. They would follow you anywhere…and that's another reason you have to think" He began again, gently stroking her leg with his thumb, "You lost one man, but in doing so you became responsible for two more, plus your own life…"

"I understand" Meia said with a tired sigh, "Why are you always right?" She added, noting Sephiroth's smile,

"I don't want to lose you, Meia. I gave you my heart…you should take better care of it"

Meia couldn't help but smile and shake her head. He was so arrogant, but he was right and she couldn't argue with him, "Will do, Sir" She replied finally, giving him a sheepish smile. Sephiroth returned it and lent back against the wall again, exhaling a long sigh.

"I'm only hard on you because I'm worried what will happen if I'm not there…"

"I guess I still have a lot of learning to do, before I can take care of myself. I shouldn't be such a burden, I'll do better next time…I promise"

"Thank you Meia" Sephiroth looked at her and smiled, "Now, I distinctly remember you saying something about dinner before I left for Wutai…"

Meia grinned and shook her head, "give me a moment to get changed then"

* * *

Get that man some food! His mean-o-meter needs refueling XD

Next chapter - The first consiquence of Sephiroth and Meia's lie rears it's ugly head...in the form of Hojo's never ceasing experiments...

Please review if you have a moment, the feedback helps me a lot :)


	32. Chapter 31 Her limits

Hello again, everyone! I hope your all still with me =) Once again I find myself working on this till the early hours of the morning u_U;; It's taken me aaaalllll day to proof read and amend it, grrrr curses!

My usual thanks go to my readers, old and new, and to my reviewers who brighten my mornings when I read their feedback ^,^ Thanks so much, guys :)

**Disclaimer: All original Final Fantasy VII characters, places and events are property of Square Enix. This is a work of fandom and not for profit. I doooo own Meia and my own OC's, however. And the plot of this fic...**

**Chapter 31**

The first week of December was, of course, injection week. But locked away in his lab, Hojo was contemplating something. Why wasn't his latest experiment suffering from her usual bout of mako fatigue? The gaunt man shuffled around his office, studying various charts and files.

So far, Meia had followed a distinct pattern; she would always begin to run out of energy leading up to her injection. She was given instructions to report all instances to the infirmary, who of course…informed Hojo. But this time, there was no such report. Not even a hint she was tiring had made its way to the man's ears.

"Perhaps I should give her an extra dose this time…" Hojo muttered under his breath. He called a file to his screen, but it mentioned nothing of mako. Instead, it displayed genetic material, a gene map…and a DNA helix. The man stroked his chin and contemplated something for a while, before nodding to himself.

* * *

"No no…I'm good"

"Okay, here's your shirt"

"Thanks, Meia. Good luck…"

Meia gave Genesis a low mocking laugh before peeling her own shirt off and assuming her position on the surgical table. Sephiroth rubbed his eyes and watched her go through Hojo's usual pre-injection checks and questions. But he was puzzled when he retrieved a normal needle before strapping her in for the mako injection…

"What's this?" She asked Hojo, who predictably wasn't happy with her prying,

"Nothing you should be concerned with"

"It's going into _my _body Hojo, I think I should be concerned…" She replied flatly, even daring to make eye contact with the man. Hojo stared at her a moment, before jabbing the needle into her arm,

"It's to help with your little fits, Meia, satisfied?"

Meia looked away with a small sigh. No, she wasn't. She was being injected with Gaia knows what and told something that was quite probably a lie.

Still, she forgot all this as the next, far more painful, substance was injected into her body. Sephiroth watched her; each time she would take it slightly better, despite last time being given an overdose. This time though, her body absorbed everything. He wondered whether it had anything to do with the lifestream exposure. He was fairly certain the reason she hadn't given in to fatigue this quarter was the exposure. It was like a massive supplement to her body, fuelling it when normally, she would get weaker.

She even kept her legs this time as she stepped from the table. Hojo, as usual, made a quick exit, leaving the SOLDIER's to recover in peace. Sephiroth approached, ready to hand back her shirt,

"Are they getting easier?" He asked when she had recovered enough to speak. Meia nodded and took her top from him,

"Yes, still the most unpleasant thing I've ever had to put up with though" She said thickly, licking her dry lips.

* * *

The weeks leading up the winter festival were unusually quiet. The president currently had the Turks scouring the planet for more of the Wutai's hidden bases. Since the island incident, the man had been in a terribly paranoid mood. So much so no one dared report anything unless they were absolutely sure the Wutai was involved. Mainly due to the fact he was very likely to just order in an airstrike, with no thought to the consequences.

So SOLDIER was mainly on standby until something was actually found. Meia continued her current studies, mainly materia usage and learning a new fighting style to incorporate the twin katana's she had grown fond of. And Sephiroth continued his usual routine, ever watchful of Meia's progress.

In the weeks after her injection, she appeared even fiercer than she usually was. He watched her from the control section of the training room. Meia always pushed herself, he knew that. Her personality wouldn't allow her to achieve anything less than what she considered her best. But lately…her speed and agility was improving at an alarming rate. And she didn't appear to be taking what he said to her that night to heart. This frustrated him. What was the reason for the training surge this time?

He watched as she sparred with a ghost of a former first class. It was akin to watching a deadly dancer; she delighted in elegance and took satisfaction from perfectly executed forms. She reacted fast, almost perfectly, and utilised her ferocity to dodge any attack that was sent her way. She had always grew at a fast pace, but Sephiroth always found this worrying. Now, he was downright alarmed.

She paused to change the program and he shook his head in astonishment. She was barely out of breath…He decided to join her and see what she thought of the situation…

"Hello Sir, what can I do for you?" She asked, politely and respectfully. She never addressed him personally unless she was sure no one was listening. As predicted though, Sephiroth sealed the room. Though she wondered; that in itself might begin to arouse suspicion…

"I've been watching you, Meia…"

"I know, I can't be that interesting…you must have something better to do" She remarked jokingly. Sephiroth let out a low chuckle,

"Actually you're intriguing me greatly" He folded his arms and watched her get to work on a higher level ghost, "How are you finding your physical capabilities?"

Meia deftly dodged a flurry of strikes while he asked, not in the least bit distracted, "Wonderful, I thought I was fast before but now…now I feel like taking you on" She said with a laugh. Sephiroth arched a slender eyebrow,

"Oh really…want to try me?" He said slowly, almost tauntingly. His body instinctually rose to the offer. It was the same with all challenges he deemed worthy of his time. He just couldn't say no to a fight he might find interesting…

_Hmm…I'll have to be careful that instinct doesn't go too far…_

Meia dismissed her training program and looked at him, her head tilted slightly,

"Really? I would be honoured to fight you" She was shocked to hear him accept her half-serious challenge. Though the shock quickly faded to nerves. This was a terrifying idea but…fighting him would be a good test of her abilities.

Meia dismissed the ghost she was fighting and prepared to face her mentor. Predictably, he had taken on his usual aloof stance; his head held high and proud and gazing at her with steady, unblinking eyes,

"Hand to hand, Meia?" He asked, his smooth voice laced with anticipation. She nodded and stood ready. She had no idea how he would start this, or whether he would wait for her to make the first move,

"You're not going to hold back, are you?" She asked him. Sephiroth's lips merely curled into a smirk as he began to circle her,

"Of course I am, don't think so highly of yourself, Meia…remember what I told you?"

"Know my limits…" She repeated his lesson reluctantly. He nodded, before smiling and making a move. He was fast, even when he wasn't trying his best and she was taken totally off guard. Meia just managed to twist out of the way, firmly deflecting his arm with her palm and attempting to counter with a punch to his kidney. She twisted on the spot quickly and prepared to strike…

But he got there first. His speed was terrifying as he deflected her punch, using her momentum against her and she was pulled down to meet his knee. Which he swiftly drew up and thrust into her stomach. As she was pushed away with tremendous force from his leg, she was reminded of the first time they had met. It was still more like fighting a train than a man.

Maybe this wasn't a good idea…

She fell back onto her rear and rolled just in time to avoid another attack. Meia backed away from him. His smug face was taunting her and Meia knew full well he was only playing. She'd be twitching on the ground already if he was serious. But it was still frustrating…She tried to connect another series of strikes, but they were all guarded; His blocks were so solid; they were almost an offence in themselves…

He came at her again and she decided to focus on defence. If she could avoid him, the session wouldn't be a total waste. Meia dodged and wove her way through Sephiroth's attacks and as she became used to them, he increased his speed. Still, she was handling it quite well…

Sephiroth was thinking to himself while he attacked Meia. As he stated, he wasn't trying his hardest. He never did, even with Angeal and Genesis. There was never any need. No one could match his strength and provide him a serious challenge. To train, he fought three holograms of himself, replacing the weakest each time with his new best when he'd finished.

Meia was definitely no exception. But he noticed every time he increased his speed, she kept up with him. And she wasn't tiring…His mind wandered to the small injection Hojo had given her. Had he really found something that could cure her mako fatigue? And boost her performance at the same time? He should be happy but all he could think about was _why_. Hojo never did anything unless it benefited him in some way; just what was he up to with Meia?

The two of them fought for a good hour and by the end of it, Meia was virtually on a high. He watched her with concern written across his features; this wasn't normal, even for a SOLDIER…She thanked him for the fight and left for the showers, leaving Sephiroth more concerned for her safety than ever…

* * *

She breathed in a deep breath as her hair whipped about her face. It was dark. It always was in Midgar…as she looked around, she could see everything. Every sector. Every reactor. Every window in the vast central complex of sector zero. From where she stood, nothing escaped her vision. The fierce glow of the mako exhaust behind her illuminated her figure and she looked down. Far down through the gap between the plates. She could see the slums, they were tiny. Buildings looked like match boxes, people weren't even visible.

The only place higher than the reactor she stood on was the Shinra building…_I want to see, I want to be higher…_

Meia spread her arms…and fell forwards. The rush of the wind was exhilarating and she didn't panic.

Why should she panic, when she could fly?

In a flurry of black feathers, a magnificent supple wing burst from her left shoulder and she sailed through the air. The thought didn't even occur to her that she only had one. It felt like the most natural thing in the world as she soared gracefully to the top of the man made colossus.

Meia landed on the balcony of the president's office. He wasn't in, no one was. The room was dark. But when Meia looked out, she couldn't see Midgar. The darkness had thickened and blocked her view. This just wasn't fair, she wanted to see. She tried to take flight again, but she couldn't. The wing wouldn't appear…and she felt heavy. Why was this happening all of a sudden?

Meia heard footsteps approaching and she turned to the sound. She opened her mouth to call out, but no sound would come. In front of her, a dark figure slowly emerged from the gloom…

It was Hojo…

Meia jerked awake and sat up on her elbows…Her confusion slowly cleared and she read the display on her clock…03:12…It was a dream?

_What…the hell?_

* * *

Zack had only popped into the training room to have a nose at the programs. He always checked to see if there were any new ones loaded, just in case he got to visit another new, exciting place. But to his delight, Meia was in there training, making the most of the free slot before the Thirds came in for their morning combat training. He decided to watch her for a while…

If Meia was on a high after fighting Sephiroth the previous day, she was practically euphoric now. This morning she had chosen to face a never ending torrent of opponents, all of varying skill levels, class and fighting techniques. She had been fighting now for nearly an hour and still they came. But she was showing no signs of slowing down. And the high she felt was addictive…

_This is wonderful…I can see every move, read every muscle…almost as if I know what's going to happen before it does…_

A large wave came at her all at once. Almost before thinking, Meia raised her arm and unleashed a ferocious lightning storm. The intensity shocked even her as the power surged through her body, connecting and felling every enemy that was preparing to attack. Meia lowered her arm and felt a twinge of pain in her head, but chose to ignore it,

_I am pushing myself, after all…_

Zack chose to leave about ten minutes later. He wanted to hit the gym and keep his new routine up,

"Hey Zack, It's good to see you again" A familiar voice addressed him. Zack snapped to attention as Angeal approached, his gruff face softened with a smile,

"Drop the formalities, eh? How is your training going?" The First asked. Zack relaxed and smiled,

"It's tough but…I'm doing well now! I'm working really hard for second" He replied enthusiastically. Angeal nodded,

"Well I won't detain you any longer, keep it up okay?"

Zack grinned and nodded happily before heading off to the lifts. Angeal smiled fondly to himself before heading into the materia room, where he found Sephiroth and Genesis tinkering over the fusion equipment,

"Having fun you two?"

Genesis let out a low growl, "Not entirely" He sighed, "I can't get these two too fuse, when by all rights they should be…"

Angeal took a look at the display over his friend's machine. Despite being an avid magic user, Genesis was less fortunate when it came to actually creating his materia. A problem that frustrated him immensely.

It didn't help that Sephiroth seemed too able to fuse anything together. They had joked once about trying to merge a piece of materia with a plastic cup; the scientists sadly caught them before Sephiroth could give it a go. He was made to swear after that not to put anything into the fusion machines other than materia. Angeal watched him, now he was done helping Genesis,

"What amazing concoction are you formulating today, Seth?" He asked, ignoring the sounds of intense concentration coming from Genesis. Sephiroth made a sound in his throat and bit his bottom lip slightly,

"I think it's possible to fuse all the elements together to make one very powerful piece…I'm still working out the kinks, however…" He muttered, almost to himself as he jotted some notes down on a clipboard. Angeal cocked an eyebrow and wandered over to look. Sure enough, he'd managed to fuse a thunder materia with an earth, and a fire materia with an ice…

"What about water?"

"That's one of the kinks…" Sephiroth replied through a sigh, "Both orbs have an element that is strongly rejecting the water materia…"

A cry of triumph from Genesis distracted both men and he plucked his newly formed toy from the machine in front of him,

"Finally! I'm going to try this out…" He stated, sinking the ball into his arm and exiting the room. The remaining two Firsts watched him leave,

"He's been working on that all morning…" Sephiroth stated quietly.

"And you were too busy to help him?"

"Hmpf, I offered…but he kept saying 'I got this', so I left him too it" The tall man shrugged. Angeal sighed and watched Sephiroth remove his project from the fusion machine, noting a couple of newly formed orbs in a small case. Angeal stepped closer to have a better look,

"Advanced materia? Are these for..?"

"Meia, yes. I made them for her earlier, considering she isn't allowed to fuse her own yet" Sephiroth said casually, carefully placing his experiment in another padded case. He hesitated as he closed the lid,

"I'm worried about her, Angeal…she's…" Sephiroth's eyebrows knitted together in a frown; the subject had been distracting him since he fought her yesterday evening…

"She's…what?" Angeal pried, stepping closer to Sephiroth, knowing full well he was always quiet when talking about something on a personal level,

"She's been training so hard since her last injection…I fought her yesterday, it was as if she was on a drug high…and she hasn't crashed yet…" He said softly, "I tried to tell her to take it easy, but she's not listening…"

Angeal folded his arms, "She's always been a hard worker, Sephiroth, since the very first time we met her. Remember how determined she was, despite only being a Turk back then?"

"I know but…something is different, it's as if she's being pushed by something…and she can't help trying harder and harder for the rush she gets…" Sephiroth clicked his materia case closed softly and shook his head. Angeal though a moment and began to reply, but Genesis entered the room again wearing a look of concern,

"Sephiroth, I think you should come to the training room…"

Sephiroth frowned; He didn't really like being told what he should and shouldn't do…"And why is that?"

"It's Meia…"

Sephiroth sighed irritably, "Genesis you know I can't be seen to rush to her side whenever-"

"She's having a fit, Sephiroth" Genesis replied forcibly, "A _serious _fit"

* * *

Meia knew she was in trouble. That sickening, sobering jolt you felt when you know you had done something wrong…but it was far too late to do anything about it. She assumed the headache was simply due to the amount she had been training the last few weeks. She assumed she was finally starting to tire normally. But she wasn't prepared for what was actually happening to her…

It started when another large wave prepared to strike and she yet again summoned an impressive magical display to use against them. But when she lowered her arm, she felt so feint her footing almost gave way beneath her. All of a sudden, everything was sluggish. Her limbs were heavy and she began to shake uncontrollably.

Then a training hologram connected a blow to her skull, sending the nerve impulses into overdrive. Her head was in agony…

Another blow, to the small of her back.

Meia reeled from the strike…what was happening? She didn't even see them coming, when before she could track the movements of a large group. Another crushing hit was sent into her stomach and she folded like a wet towel, retching some of her stomach contents onto the floor. She was so confused; she couldn't even comprehend trying to stop the simulation.

Someone stopped it for her, however, and Meia now lay on the floor…barely conscious. Heavily lidded eyes stared down her arm at pale fingertips. They felt like they belonged to someone else and she attempted to move them. But it was no use; nothing past a sluggish twitch could be coaxed from them. Even speaking was impossible; her entire body was numb and un-responsive and she was so confused…

Sephiroth swept into the training room and beheld Meia's useless form in the middle of the holographic chamber. He cursed under his breath and moved in to help her; Genesis and Angeal close behind,

"I'll lock the door" Angeal said soberly. Sephiroth crossed the distance quickly and knelt behind her, noticing the violent trembling of her body. Meia was in serious shock…He tried to gain a response but pathetic gurgles were all she could produce. This was bad; he'd never seen a case of fatigue so serious before.

Gently he placed her into a recovery position, not daring to try and move her yet in case she was in pain. But even this caused her great discomfort, and she groaned like a broken child, clawing weakly at the floor with her fingers…

"Meia…why did you do this to yourself" Sephiroth stated helplessly with a small shake of his head. Meia's leg twitched and she whimpered a response. He removed his gloves and carefully stroked the hair away from her face. Her skin was cold and clammy, her eyes dull and half closed. Sephiroth was finding himself assaulted with his usual baffling instincts, and he would act on them if not for being aware he wasn't alone. It was only Angeal and Genesis though, why shouldn't he? But he was also confused again; He was frustrated and angry with her for going against him, but he was also deeply worried about her. Just like in the reactor a year ago…

Before he could do anything to give her any kind of comfort, her breathing became labored. Then it became harder and harder for her to take a breath and she began to panic. But her paralysed body wouldn't respond…Sephiroth's heart was breaking but this was far more serious that he originally thought,

"Call for the medics, now…she's arresting" He instructed his friends.

_Meia…Gaia please, keep her safe…_

* * *

_Later that day…_

_Shinra medical building, 17:48_

The three friends waited patiently outside the hospital room, waiting for any news from within. Sephiroth sat hunched, with his head somewhere close to his knees. Meia's heart had stopped shortly after her breathing had worsened and he had to fight to start it again. He performed everything from CPR to healing her with materia until the medics arrived to take over, whisking her away from him and leaving him kneeling on the floor of the training room.

He was terrified.

He knew she was still alive, he could feel the usual peace but he wondered if she would be alright. And try as he might, he couldn't stop himself thinking _what if…you could have lost her again…_

He sat up and rubbed his face. They had been waiting for hours now and still nothing,

"If you're worried about people suspecting, we can keep an eye on her for you" Genesis asked him gently. Sephiroth scowled at the door of the room,

"No thank you" He replied darkly. At this point, he was beyond caring.

_Inside the room_

"She's finally stabilised, professor. BP, heart rate and breathing are back to normal levels"

"Hmmm, very good" Hojo mused quietly. He was currently hunched over the Meia's unconscious form, observing her carefully, "I was about to give up and put her on the failure list" He remarked. The other personnel in the room didn't even flinch. Mostly due to the fact they were part of the JENOVA project and were used to Hojo's cold view on life in general. All this woman represented was another experiment.

Albeit an important one.

"So what happened, professor?"

Hojo contemplated a moment, before pulling out a small digital Dictaphone and holding it close to his face;

"It seems Miss LeSait's body was being ravaged by a combination of the JENOVA cells…and the project S DNA" He paused and took her wrist, "Reports show her physical and mental activity has been extremely high since her last mako injection, arguably since she returned with Sephiroth from their long period of absence"

"So this is simply mako fatigue, Sir?"

"Correct, a very severe case. Remember; the fatigue is brought about when the enhanced cells in her body run out of mako to fuel them, causing the SOLDIER's body to collapse with extreme weakness. But here we see her continuous and highly rigorous training has caused her to crash very early…"

"Is it because of the supplement you gave her along with the mako injection?"

"Yes" Hojo paused and smirked, "I must admit, I may have given her a higher dose than I originally intended. The extra DNA from project S caused her capabilities to soar. She experienced a high akin to a drug induced state, but…the amount of fuel required by her modified cells, now fused with _both _types of DNA, was immense. She has already used up all of her mako reserves…"

A small, collective gasp was uttered by the scientists. Hojo continued his muttering,

"What I don't understand is why she didn't suffer from fatigue at her usual time, _before _the injection…I assumed her body had simply become used to the amount of Jenova and project S DNA and she wasn't running out of mako as a result. It would seem that's not the case...and now she has a far larger, hungrier, force inside of her. Perhaps larger than her normal, human body, can take. There is a piece of the puzzle missing…" The man trailed off and peered at Meia's face.

"What aren't you telling me, my dear…"

* * *

Once Meia's body had been stabilised and supplemented with additional mako shots, she began recovering well. She was discharged a few days later but told to stay in bed for several days, and take it easy with her training.

Once Sephiroth had learned she was going to be ok, he had left the hospital. He could feel some kind of emotional outburst coming and had chosen to avoid the situation in public. Being in a relationship, as he now found himself acknowledging he was, was proving more difficult than he could ever imagine. He was constantly frustrated that he had to remain cold and almost uncaring towards her in public. Not just because he wanted to avoid the science department from prying, but due to his own foolish pride…

_My precious public image…_

He irritated himself immensely sometimes. More so since meeting Meia, but he wouldn't allow himself to blame her. As Angeal constantly reminded him; even normal people had to work out their highly complex, and often illogical emotions. This wasn't her fault.

Making herself ill was, however.

It had been two days since she collapsed and now Meia was safely in her room resting. Sephiroth took a deep breath as he rode the lift; he had no idea what he was going to say. He was worried that he would lose his temper and say something he would regret. He rubbed his eyes. He'd never been in this position before. Normally, he would say what he wanted to say and not give a damn what people thought of him. The only exceptions being Genesis and Angeal, but with them he knew by now they would forgive him afterwards. Meia was a little different. He hadn't known her as long and the fear of losing her always played strongly on his mind.

The lift pinged to a halt on Meia's floor and he stepped out, the usual gift he brought her held firmly in his hand. He knocked softly and waited for a reply, but none came. He frowned and knocked again. Nothing. What if something was wrong? He let himself in carefully; the door was unlocked, and moved into the main living area.

Meia was in bed unconscious, her unruly shock of ebony hair arranged haphazardly over her pillows. He stepped closer and was relieved to see the rise and fall of her chest. He hadn't seen her since she was collapsed on the floor and her complexion was considerably better. As he sat next to her, his feelings of frustration and anger gradually melted away, replaced with contentment.

And sheer relief that she was okay.

She was quite adorable; appearing to have fallen asleep reading. A book was loosely held in her hand. Her pale yellow top was falling away from her shoulder, exposing creamy bare skin. He found the sight tantalized him, but he sighed and regained his composure. Lusting after someone while they were asleep and oblivious to one's presence didn't seem quite right in his eyes…

Sephiroth's lips curled into a faint smile as he wafted the scent of coffee towards her nostrils with his hand, causing her to stir. Meia blinked heavily and beheld the cup, then shifted her gaze to stare at the bringer of the delicious treat,

"I thought I was dreaming of coffee…what a nice surprise" She murmured through a smile. Sephiroth waited patiently for her to sit up and take the coffee from him, going through her usual sniffing ritual before sipping some,

"I guess I'm in for another bollocking, am I right?" She asked timidly. Sephiroth sighed and looked away,

"That was my initial plan but…your sleeping form dispelled my anger" He looked back at her with a warm smile painted on his face, "How can I be mad at you when I'm just happy you're still alive" He said softly. He was glad, the feeling was overwhelming. The instincts were stronger than ever, he just wished he could act on them. But he daren't, in case he hurt her. Her body was still recovering, after all.

Meia could see he was moved. It was subtle, but defiantly there. Her foolish desire to succeed had almost got her killed. Again…It was sobering to see Sephiroth so worried,

"I learned my lesson…" Meia said quietly, staring as usual at the top of her cup, "I was just so addicted to the feeling of complete euphoria that I got from training like that…" She paused and looked at him, "I should imagine you feel something similar…"

Sephiroth sighed through his nose, "Honestly? Yes…not just from training either…" He shifted his position so facing her was easier, "On the island, you saw what combat does for me. You watched my face as my body drank in the feeling of bliss" He sighed and closed his eyes, "That's another thing; If I was to be angry with you for pushing yourself to experience that feeling, I'd be a hypocrite…wouldn't I…" He trailed off, his eyes drifting to gaze at her hand resting close to his. Meia took another mouthful of coffee and crept her hand towards his pale fingers,

"I saw. I know you try to protect me from it but, I think it's time for you to stop worrying what I'll think of you" She laid her fingers of his gently, causing him to meet her gaze, "I know what you are, Sephiroth, and I know who you are…if any of that scared me, I would have run a mile a long time ago"

Sephiroth smirked, reminded of what he'd said about her mother, "Back at me, huh?" He stated playfully. Meia smiled,

"Yea; I'm not the person you're afraid I am" She squeezed his hand gently. Sephiroth stared at her small fingers upon his and smiled gently. Yet again he was surprised at his reactions. He was worrying in the lift that he would say something in anger, yet here he was perfectly content and placid.

They then addressed Meia's collapse in detail, Sephiroth describing everything that she went through. Both acknowledged yet again that something wasn't right,

"The small injection…I bet that has something to do with it" Meia mused, now sitting up with her legs crossed. Sephiroth sat in front of her with his back to the wall. He acknowledged her and drew his knee up,

"I wish I knew what Hojo was up too. There are so many things I wish I knew…" He said sadly. Meia pursed her lips,

"I can help, you know…" She began quietly. She wasn't sure how he would take what she was about to suggest, "I've seen the systems here, It wouldn't take me much to break into them…"

Sephiroth fixed her with a stern glare, which instantly softened as she gazed back unblinking. There was that automatic reaction again. Inbred loyalty…

"No, Meia. I can't ask you to do that. If you're caught, you'll be severely punished…" He replied eventually, though part of him longed to tell Meia to go ahead. What secrets were being kept in the data banks? Could he learn more about himself, if he could get in? It was tempting, but he was unwilling to risk Meia to do it. He had already suffered enough this month, he wanted to be able to sleep easy again and not stare at his ceiling worrying.

He looked around; something was different…"Meia, is there more room in here?" He asked. Meia chuckled and leant forward,

"It was Angeal. He came by in the morning and tidied up, despite my plea's to leave everything as it was…" She looked up at him, "I've been trying to find my long pink socks all day…"

Sephiroth cracked a smile, and then surprised Meia completely by laughing. A full, happy laugh. She simply stared, awestruck. Normally, he covered his mouth or kept his head bowed, but here he was laughing and smiling like he did it all the time. Her own smile widened and eventually Sephiroth subdued his chuckling,

"The way your staring Meia, you'd think I grew a second head" He smirked at her.

"It's just nice to see you smile, Sephiroth, and laugh…I guess it's a relief for me, considering what I put you through this month" She replied, guilt laced into her voice. Sephiroth rested his hand on her ankle, without his usual hesitation this time,

"You need to take it easy from now on. Your abilities are still impressive, Meia. But the more you excel, the more Hojo takes it as a green light" His thumb circled the protruding bone on her ankle slowly, "Lazard is actually thinking of promoting you to First in spring, along with the other SOLDIER assessments. But you didn't hear that from me…" He told her quietly.

"Really? Wow…"

"Yes really" Sephiroth chuckled and rose, "I'm going to get some food, want anything?"

Meia nodded and made her request, watching after him as he left. She sank back into her pillows and sighed contentedly, closing her eyes and enjoying his lingering scent. She would listen to him this time. This time, she realised, being alive to enjoy Sephiroth's company was a far greater high than training herself into the ground. And if she made First, maybe the mystery surrounding her past could be solved…

* * *

Poor Meia, she loves getting beaten up...And Angeal just can't help himself~

Next chapter - Meia is sent on an assignment that she is sure will be the deciding factor for her promotion...worried about her physical limitations, will she pull it off?

Please review if you have a spare few minutes, I enjoy the feedback ^^


	33. Chapter 32 Prospero's speech

Well, this one took a while. And for that I can only apologise~ u_u My brainpower simply vanished, which made working on the fic tough. I'm getting there...slowly...

Thank you everybody who has stuck with me, and my thanks especially to my reviewers. Please don't leave me! I need all the encouragment I can get right now XD

This time I actually had music. So for Gismo (if you're still reading T_T) A song came on as I was halfway through the ending to this chapter. I though it ironically appropriate for the scene and shall be using it as a muse for other scenes of it's kind in the future. Search - Loreena McKennit 'Prospero's speech' - look up the lyrics as well. I think they kinda fit Seph and Meia~

**Disclaimer - FFVII, it's characters, original events and places are copyright to Square Enix. This is a work of fandom and in no way for profit.**

* * *

Chapter 32

After that day, Meia did indeed keep her word to Sephiroth. She calmed her training right down, only now it was difficult to know when to stop. Her body, although noticeably worn, was managing to remain responsive. Unfortunately for her, however, she needed weekly mako injections to replace her cells utterly exhausted supply. Still, there was always a coffee and smile waiting after each session, so she didn't mind them as much.

The winter festival came and passed and for Sephiroth, it was much more pleasant than some of his past experiences with the holiday. Next came his birthday, which turned him twenty two, and was again shared with his friends. Only this time, they decided to drag him to the gold saucer. Still, he couldn't complain. Once his usual and initial temper tantrum was overcome, he found he enjoyed it there. Even more so when he won a novelty mini version of his masamune in speed square...It was currently sitting on Meia's desk, nestled menacingly amongst the junk.

Activity within SOLDIER was minimal, the Wutai were laying low for some reason. Whether they were still spooked by the island incident or not was open to debate. Intelligence reported everything as hush hush on the enemy's home continent. So the rest of winter was spent mainly training and staying out of the foul weather that was besieging Midgar.

It was now spring. Or so they were told by the calenders. The four SOLDIER's had been administered their usual dose of mako. Slightly higher doses were given to some, however. Thankfully now though, Meia was feeling a lot better. The creeping fatigue that she felt for the last three months was banished once more and she was back to her usual self. Only taking things much slower.

As Sephiroth had hinted to her back in December, Lazard was planning to assess her for promotion. Luckily for him - though unlucky for some - the Wutai were back to their tricks. Which presented a perfect opportunity for some assessing.

_Wutain continent – March 14th _

It was raining. It always rained when the planet had a morose message to get across to her people. This instance was no different. The Wutain continent was being drowned in a perpetual deluge. Perhaps it sought to cleanse the land of the amount of vile bloodshed that had - and was - still taking place here. The Wutaians claimed it was the great serpent leviathan, come to destroy the Shinra scum. The 'Shinra scum' shrugged it off and claimed it was the result of over active imaginations.

To Meia, the 'scum' was no longer so clear cut.

On one side, the Wutaians were simply defending their right to live as there own people. The last bastion of humanity to resist Shinra, they were determined to keep their land or die trying. But Meia couldn't ignore the bloodshed on _their_ part. The experiments. The way she herself was mercilessly hunted for most of her teenage life by various members of their order.

Then there was Shinra. Draining the planet of its energy and forcing all other human beings to accept them into their lives. She understood now; her time spent in the lifestream left no doubt in her mind that the planets very blood should be left as it is. Doing what it should be doing naturally.

But...she herself worked for the company defiling the very world they lived on. She killed in its name...she was just as much to blame for her own actions. But could she really be blamed? Could any Shinra employee be blamed... Unless you were of course one of the fat cats. Most people in Midgar worked for Shinra simply because the pay was good. And lets face it, who else was going to employ you?

So yes, Meia was having trouble figuring out her inner turmoil. Still, if she made first, her decisions would be up to her again. At least, in some respects. The confident ex-Turk was certain this mission she was assigned too was to test her for that very promotion. And she was utterly focused on pulling it off.

Meia sighed and rubbed her head, the cold glow of her laptop illuminating her worn looking face. She had been posted here for just over a week now. She was in charge of a small group of SOLDIER's given the task of guarding surveillance equipment, and the crew operating it. So far, nothing had gone awry. But Meia knew her luck had a habit of turning on her...

She looked up as a flashing icon in the shape of a camera appeared at the bottom of her screen. _At last..._she thought to herself, clicking the pixelated calling card,

"Hey there SOLDIER, how's things holding up?"

Meia stifled a yawn, "Everything is normal, no signs of the enemy at all Sir"

Genesis smirked and rested his chin in his hand, "How much sleep have you had?"

"Enough..."

"Don't give me that" Genesis retorted, "the world isn't going to end if you take a nap, Meia, so take one"

"The weather is terrible though, and-"

"And nothing. Take one, I'm making it an order" He cocked a slender eyebrow, "Disobey me and it will go against you"

"Why must you do this to me..." Meia couldn't quite keep the whine out of her voice,

"Because Sephiroth would kill me if I didn't look out for you. Goodnight, Meia" Genesis laughed and signed off, leaving her alone again. He was assigned to a base not far from where she and her team was stationed. And was also her field commander.

Meia clicked her laptop shut and rose. Maybe Genesis was right, a few hours wouldn't hurt. She stripped her heavy armour and belts off before laying down on her simple bed. As she lay there, she listened to the sound of the rain hammering on the roof of the small cabin.

Since the lifestream incident, Jenova's horrid, cold voice was no where to be heard. Well, In her head at least. The incident with Callo had unnerved her somewhat, but she took comfort in the fact people weren't allowed to be SOLDIER's unless they were in command of all their marbles. It wasn't likely the episode would repeat itself.

Which just left her and Sephiroth to worry about. Meia was pretty confident she could resist the entity, now she knew what it was and exactly what it was after. Her beloved friend wouldn't be a problem either, unless she was away from him too long or something disturbed him enough to unbalance the man. Which wasn't likely to happen.

Eventually Meia managed to drop off, lulled by the sound of the rain. Which was more than could be said for Sephiroth. He was currently as far away from Meia as was humanly possible, locked in the confides of his room.

The kettle bubbled and clicked, bringing him round from his self induced thought coma. As Sephiroth filled his thick rustic teapot with boiling water, he had to fight to keep his thoughts under control. The amount of anxiety he felt when Meia was away from him was overwhelming. He couldn't for the life of him fathom how he used to cope.

But, he realised as he watched the tiny balls of jasmine petals unfurl in the steaming liquid, Meia had always been close to him. Before he even knew of her existence as a adult, she was close. Kalm...Midgar. She had always lived within mere miles of his location. It was when he went away on missions he was at his most anxious. He now realised why. Whether she - or he - was aware of it or not, Meia had protected him.

Sephiroth gathered his tea and cup and paced to his couch. The only thing on television this time of night was telesales or pornography. Neither of which he felt like watching. He had no desire for an amazing cleaning device that you never had to wash. Nor did he fancy watching over choreographed, fake, panting adult stars undulating and writhing about. He found it about as arousing as the self-cleaning mop...when he was younger perhaps, but not now.

He smirked to himself _when I was younger...I'm only twenty two. _He remembered what Meia had said to him last year about growing up fast. She was right. He felt a lot older then he actually was.

Sephiroth began sipping his tea before his rebellious mind - now happily associating the memories of Meia with the late night entertainment - and therefore rapidly declining into the gutter, lost the plot entirely. He hoped she was coping with her assignment, although he knew deep down it wouldn't present her with a problem. Hopefully she would be home soon. He was aching for a good night's sleep.

* * *

Chilly dawn. The rain had now eased into a minuscule spray that blanketed the landscape in a coarse mist. Meia had been up for a few hours by now, having only allowed herself three short hours of sleep. She stood gazing over the edge of the cliff top where the observation post was sited. The valley and mountains below her were partially hidden by the rolling mist as it swirled and tumbled throughout the landscape.

She blinked her weary eyes slowly; her sleep had been troubled. She swore, underneath the rumble of the rain, she heard a familiar voice whispering to her. Familiar, taunting, barely there sentences that hardly made sense, but still oozed foreboding. Only minutes before she went to bed, Meia had hoped the voice was silenced. But now that didn't seem to be the case. Why? Sephiroth wasn't with her...didn't she only hear it when he was close? She shivered involuntarily and hugged herself tight.

_Just ignore it..._

"Sir! You need to see this" A young Third class called, approaching Meia from the base at her back. She acknowledged him and left her post at the cliff side,

"What is it?"

"The enemy Sir, by the looks of things a small resistance is gathering in the valley" He reported, taking large strides to keep up with Meia's quick march,

"Wake the others and assemble, as quickly as possible" She commanded firmly. The SOLDIER nodded and jogged off towards the main base, leaving Meia to carry on to the observation platform.

_Damn...small he says..._Meia thought to herself as she peered through a pair of binoculars. She estimated a force of around two hundred enemy soldiers gathered at the very base of the rocky access slope. By the looks of things they were preparing to march right up and try to either take control - or destroy - the observation post. She clicked her tongue as she looked away; two hundred shouldn't be a problem for a team of twenty SOLDIER's.

Which is what concerned her...

By now, if the Wutai hadn't learned SOLDIER wasn't your average fighting force, they really were just a bunch of monkeys with sticks. Behind their commander, the team of Thirds and Seconds had assembled,

"I need you to watch this group closely while I check something out" She began, starting to unclasp her armour, "Alert me if anything changes"

_Sir! Yes Sir!_

Now lighter and far more agile, Meia quickly scouted the cliff tops and rugged terrain in the immediate area. At first, she found nothing, but as she descended a worrying pattern began to unfurl..._I see what you're up too..._

Not too long after that, the Wutai attacked. They surged up the hill in a yelling, jeering mass. It was like lambs to the slaughter and Meia led her elite team against them. But more came, replacing their dead comrades. Bloodied, broken bodies began to form a morbid carpet to the enemy's boots and they showed no signs of relenting. Meia knew now for certain they were up to something; this was all to familiar. She had read Sephiroth's report on his stay in Wutai before the island incident. The enemy were resorting to suicidal tactics to give them the edge in combat. And this was playing out the same way.

After a few hours of continuous fighting, some of the less experienced Third classes were beginning to tire and the infantry had pulled back to provide ranged support with their guns. It wasn't long before one of the thirds got into trouble. But instead of being slaughtered outright, he was dragged amongst the enemy and swept back down the hill. Instinctively, the rest of SOLDIER began to give chase, but Meia's bellowing command to halt fixed them in their tracks,

"Sir, they are weak" One of her comrades panted, "We can get him back"

But Meia simply shook her head, "Things aren't as they always seem, SOLDIER" She replied simply. Her colleague was confused but he obeyed her order. Meia's face was devoid of all expression as she calmly approached the front line of her small army. Neither side moved, but it was clear to the SOLDIER's that the enemy was waiting for something...

"What's wrong, Shinra bitch? Afraid to save your fellow soldier?" One of them taunted after a while. Meia fixed him with her eyes and motioned for her men to form rank behind her. Then she gave the order to march and they did so as an organised group...

_Forgive me, SOLDIER..._

The group of Shinra's elite marched onwards, towards the enemy, at a steady pace. It unsettled the Wutai, who were expecting a charge. But after a certain distance, high pitched mocking laughter began to ring out of the enemy lines and one of them held his arm high, clearly clutching a remote of some kind,

"Goodbye, scum!" He screamed triumphantly. Some of Meia's men gasped in realisation, but she instructed them to hold their ground, which they did so.

The Wutai were only allowed a moment of utter confusion before they were caught up in their own trap. Meia tilted her head up to the cliff, where a series of explosions shook the valley side. Devastating amounts of rocks were blown loose and the SOLDIER's watched as they crashed and rained down onto the helpless enemy. They tried to run, but it was no use. The earth and boulders, some utterly gigantic, simply rolled after them with terrifying velocity. Some of the men Meia was in charge of began to cheer and taunt, but the commander herself remained stoic.

She had discovered the charges on the cliff. They must have been placed during the night, under the cover of the weather. After realising the enemy's plan, Meia had moved them with the help of some of her troops. Sadly, there wasn't enough time to inform all the men and right now...the captured SOLDIER was the only thing on her mind. Still the rocks fell and by now, clouds of dust and debris were clouding the damp air, making it impossible to determine the enemy's condition,

"SOLDIER..." Meia spoke softly to the man beside her, "Check with the infantry, see if they saw any escapee's"

"Yes Sir!" He responded sharply and ran to carry out her command.

Meia bit her lip as she watched the scene calm down. Bodies lay, bloodied and broken, littering the path way out of the valley. Pathetic groans and wails were drifting up from the carnage below where she stood.

As a Turk, Meia had of course killed before. But not on this scale. That wasn't part of a Turks job. Rather than eliminating a single target that – probably - deserved at least partially what they were getting, Meia found herself using her keen mind to murder en mass. Enemy soldier's. Probably only fighting for their land, their family's or simply because they had no other choice. Pawns, caught up in the wars of kings.

She couldn't help but feel remorse for these men and women as she approached the main site of the massacre. Protect the observation post...well, she had certainly done that. But at what cost...

_2 weeks later – Shinra building 51st floor – Director Lazard's office._

Two men sat in silence, each scrutinising the same report displayed on their screens. One man was - at no surprise of the other - reading considerably faster. Sephiroth stretched his legs and crossed them at the ankles, before going on to the next section of the document. From his desk, Lazard removed his glasses and rubbed away the soreness on his nose,

"So far, it's flawless" He began slowly, "She handled the mission as a First would, just as you said"

Sephiroth made a low sound in his throat as acknowledgement, "It's been proven before how intelligent she is" Sephiroth stated, still reading as he did so, "And the progress she has made since being promoted to second is nothing short of astonishing..." He trailed off.

Lazard leant forward, "You suspect something, don't you..." He asked tentatively.

Sephiroth looked up and fixed the director with his steady gaze, "Of course I do" He replied with a sigh, "Normal SOLDIER's simply don't advance at the rate she is..." He trailed off and gazed at his screen with vacant eyes,

"She used to be a Turk though" Lazard mused, "Most men – or women – who apply for SOLDIER aren't usually as fit as she was when she joined"

Sephiroth grunted softly and leant back. Lazard watched him for a moment before resuming his reading,

"You're worried about her, aren't you..."

Sephiroth closed his eyes and recognised the usual discomfort that came to him when someone pried into his private life. Even though it was Lazard, and even though he was aware the Director sympathised with his and Meia's personal situation...It didn't make it any easier...

"It can't be helped. It's all happening so fast...I assume she made First?"

Lazard nodded, still reading his report, "Yes, from this...you would think she is already" he half muttered. Sephiroth agreed and started reading the report again.

He couldn't help but notice Meia's course of action regarding the small assault on the observation post. She carried out her plan, even though she knew one of her own men was in the firing line. Somehow, he survived, but Sephiroth couldn't help but wonder how difficult making that decision was for her. A year ago, she wouldn't have known what to do. Six months ago, she would have ran in to save him. Now...she was cool and calculating. It wouldn't have made the situation any easier for her, however.

Since he spoke to Meia after the island incident, she was slowly coming round to his reasoning. He smirked to himself and quickly wiped it off his face before Lazard saw; She had developed a habit of calling him 'master' whenever he'd make suggestions to her in private. As always though, she kept her comments strictly professional unless they were alone.

Still, he found himself constantly wondering about her growth, especially after almost killing herself training.

What was to stop her having a fit on a mission? What would happen if she couldn't get to a hospital? Even if she could get to one, a regular hospital would be at a loss to treat her condition. She required mako when she was fatigued, and only two places could give her that; Midgar and Junon.

Sephiroth squeezed his eyes shut. Constantly worrying, was it normal? It was logic versus emotion again. He knew Meia was capable, he knew that now she wouldn't push herself too far. He also knew she was at last able to demonstrate a calm logic that wouldn't put her, or her men, in unnecessary danger. But no matter how many times he repeated all of those things in his mind, he still found himself thinking about her.

It didn't help him at all that he hadn't slept properly since she left. He sighed and rubbed his eyes,

"Miss LeSait is due back tomorrow lunchtime?" Sephiroth asked his director.

"Yes, with orders to unpack and report to me immediately" Lazard answered, still reading and jotting notes in a pad. Sephiroth thought to himself a moment, before dismissing himself and heading to the indoor running track to unwind a little.

_The next day..._

"Meia! I'm glad to see you home" Lazard looked up from his desk and smiled at the exhausted SOLDIER, who stood to attention,

"No need for that" He waved her down, "you look like you could use some sleep..." He added.

Meia smiled weakly and relaxed, "I could, Sir, and a shower"

"Well I won't keep you too long" Lazard replied, "Your report is excellent Meia, your assessors and Genesis both tell me you handled the situations you were faced with perfectly"

Meia nodded, trying her best to focus. If she was honest, curling up on the floor seemed like the best course of action right now.

"I'm promoting you to First class, effective immediately. Congratulations" Lazard smiled and stood, holding his hand out.

"Thank you Sir, I'm honoured" Meia replied, grasping his hand.

Lazard sat down again, "As you are probably aware, you will be getting a larger room considering you utilise on site accommodation. And you may wear what ever uniform you choose from now on..." He looked at her and smiled, "Which I'm sure is a relief; SOLDIER uniforms weren't really designed with the female figure in mind"

Meia laughed weakly, "No Sir, they weren't"

"Well, I'll let you get away. We can go through things later. Good job, Meia"

"Yes Sir, thank you" She replied and dismissed herself.

In the lift heading down, she struggled to focus. Meia was incredibly tired, starving herself of rest on the mission wasn't the best idea, but she managed. But now, all she wanted was a hot shower and sleep. She rode the lift all the way to the ground floor and made her way out to the residential building. When she got to her room, a letter was waiting on her tiny bed, addressed to her. As she picked it up, a smaller note fell away;

_I've missed you~_

_Come upstairs when your ready_

_S_

Meia smiled and started scanning the main letter, but found it was simply information on her new rank and the privileges that came with it. _I can read this later..._She thought, tossing it aside again.

Climbing in to her shower, Meia found herself incredibly happy she wouldn't have to put up with it much longer. No more dodgy water flow, no more sudden shock cold showers...just a nice, relaxing cascade that worked properly instead. She didn't even want to think of the bath. Making the water as hot as she could stand, Meia simply let it hammer down on her aching muscles and paid no attention to the clouds of steam now rolling around her and fogging up the whole bathroom. It felt so good. Her mind wandered to her mission as she started washing herself.

The SOLDIER caught up in the rock slide survived with only a broken leg and other minor injuries. Which she was thankful for, but the fact she had made the decision to sacrifice him disturbed her. And what was worse, she would have to make these decisions on a regular basis now. But this was her job. Just the same as her old one, just involving more lives.

_One life...in exchange for thousands...the concept is simple, but trying telling that to the one man...or his family..._

Meia dried herself and threw on anything that was clean and close to her. The heat of the water had caused her to slip further into exhaustion.

Although, that was all part of her plan...

* * *

Sephiroth looked up from his kitchen bench as his alarm tone went off. He took an involuntary breath as his chest heaved and his heart skipped. That was happening a lot lately..._Maybe this is my excitement trying to escape..._He padded softly to his door and checked who it was, the corner of his lips curling as he saw a most welcome sight yawning in his doorway.

"Hello, soldier" He smiled softly at Meia once the door had hissed open. She returned the smile, though had to stifle another yawn afterwards. He gestured her inside, automatically checking to see if anyone saw her come in, before locking the door once more. He shook his head gently as she half stumbled her way straight to his cream leather sofa and sat heavily on it,

"I'm so glad to be home" She said through a sigh, "That mission was tough"

Sephiroth acknowledged her and carried on to his kitchen again, where he busied himself to finish the pot of tea he was making,

"Care to elaborate?" He asked her, changing his choice of refreshment from 'green' to 'ginseng'. Meia hummed in her throat, clearly thinking,

"It was just..." She hesitated but chastised herself; Sephiroth probably knew what she was going to say anyway, "The decision I made...It went against every fibre I have" She finished quietly. Sephiroth let out a sharp sigh and gathered up their intended refreshment,

"I know, Meia" He placed the tea pot, along with two mugs, on his moss table and poured them both a cup. Meia watched whilst struggling to focus on his voice,

"Being in SOLDIER requires you to make these decisions" He carried on, sitting beside her and folding his legs up.

Meia's company was almost second nature to him now. Their knee's touched gently but he didn't mind. He hardly even flinched when they settled so close to her. He looked down and smiled. She was home, and he was glad. He really didn't want to talk about work, but it was clear the actions she had to take disturbed her and she wanted to get it off her chest,

"I think, even though these decisions are tough for you, you should take comfort that you still care" He carried on, well aware the conversation was becoming one sided. He watched her blow at the hot liquid in her cup, noticing her soft, slightly damp ebony locks were getting in the way. Gently he reached out and tucked them behind her ear, as he'd seen her do so many times. She smiled a soft 'thanks' and continued blowing,

"I try, I really do but...I'm worried" She looked up him, her tired eyes ringed with a deep blue tinge, "I'm worried I'll start to loose that. What if I become cold and heartless?"

Sephiroth let his eyes roam over her features a moment before replying, "Like me..." He sighed and looked over her head, out the glass wall to the city beyond, "You won't. It's not within you to ever become that way, I don't think" He mused quietly.

Meia pursed her lips and sipped her tea, noticing he'd given her a blend that was meant to invoke energy within it's drinker. She couldn't help but smile; it was Sephiroth's subtle hint that he wanted her awake for a little while at least, despite her exhaustion. But Meia didn't know if that was possible. His warm room, the luxurious furniture, her shower soothed body. Everything was seducing her to sleep...

"I'm glad..." She said finally, "it's the last thing I want to happen...I just-" She stopped what she was saying when she felt the slight weight of Sephiroth's hand rest on her crown,

"I know, Meia, you don't need to say it" He stroked her gently in his usual way, "I won't let you forget yourself"

Meia smiled at him and carried on with her drink.

"Now you're a First, we should pay Mideel a visit" He said softly, taking his hand back and watching her sip her tea. She nodded and smiled, stifling another yawn of which she apologised for. Sephiroth simply chuckled softly.

They sat and watched the television for a while, listening to the news, neither speaking. Sephiroth closed his eyes and smiled for a moment, until a gentle snore caught his attention. Meia had fallen asleep. Not even the tea could keep her awake. He looked at her empty cup, teetering precariously in her lap, barely held there by her unconscious fingertips. He took it away gently and set it on the table, before rising as carefully as he could to retrieve a blanket and a pillow.

Sephiroth gathered Meia's small body in his arms and smiled as her head rolled into his chest. With gentle care, he set her down on the shorter extension of his L shaped sofa, resting her heavy head carefully on the pillow he'd placed there for her. The deceptively delicate looking SOLDIER didn't even stir as she was covered with a soft blanket. Sephiroth leant down,

"I guess you can rest..." He whispered and smiled, before kissing her with a feathers touch on the forehead...

* * *

Victory for Meia! Getting promoted and managing to fall asleep on his couch - scooooore~

Next chapter - Sephiroth makes good his promise to help Meia with her past. But her emotions threaten to overwhelm her as the memories of a happier time return.

Please review if you have a moment, It would mean a lot to me :)


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